Is Turkey likely to join the EU in the foreseable future?

"The full integration of Turkey into the European Union is our primary strategic objective. Our country will continue to fulfill its obligations concerning its accession process." Turkey's ministry of foreign affairs after the negative report of the European Commission for the progress of Turkey regarding its accession course, on November 5th, 2008. I don't know about Turkish people's opinion though.

You have summed up the situation pretty well. The majority of Turks seem to have lost interest in the EU project, and the majority of Europeans don't want Turkey in the EU, so the prospects don't look good for the foreseeable future. By foreseeable future, I mean the next 5-10 years. Beyond that, anything is possible really. Both Turkey and the EU have changed a lot over the last 15-20 years, so who knows what the situation will be 15-20 years from now.

Well the Turkish Government takes membership into the EU very seriously and I believe that eventually Turkey will join but perhaps in around 20 years or so, maybe less. Personally though, I think Turkey should continue reforms to meet EU standards, but I don't think there would be many positives coming out of membership, I like Turkey and their culture and I don't want it being messed up by the West. Just my opinion.

No. They have to recognize Cyprus and withdraw their army.

Turkey/Turkiye is too good to be true! What's so good about the UK! am I buvveerreedddd!!!!!!!!! I luv u US!

I dont know. & at this time, I dont care. I should be asleep. I'm just a stubborn person who should SLEEP! Any1 know any cures for insomnia? ok I exaggerate, not insomnia, but I can't stop thinking !!! And I cant bother any1 at this time, so here I am. Ur stuck with my rant. Oooh I better answer d question,cause u know what happens when I dont :p Ok well it seems the EU is still deliberating and this may go on for some time. You know how it is with politicians and all - they spend their whole life talking and yet rarely come to definitive decisions. You know why? Cause we're all just creatures kinda confused about what the hell we're doing here, in life that is. Give'm a break, in fact give urself a break. Stop thinking about all this stuff. Ur missing out on watching the sun come up, noticing the way the rose waltzes with the breeze, and how the birds language seems so charming. They always twitter by my window and I have to wake up because they are so passionately communicating. Do u think u can decifer it? I wanna know, what do they actually say to each other? Any1 know? Anyways, whether you believe in fate or like me, that life is a coincidence, you can't afford to feel everyones suffering and immerse urself in all these serious matters so frequently. Money, Religion, Land masses, Borders, Ethnicities, Flags, Physical distinctions and whatever else. Life is too short. We will all die and that is the only answer ur guaranteed. How we die, in my opinion, is irrelevant. People need to accept that YES everyone - regardless of how much you love them, regardless of how pretty you want their life to seem when they die, at the end it is cold and hard/difficult for us, feeling-beings. Turkey may be in the EU 20 years from now and u may have never bought that house that may have increased in value. But, is that what you will be thinking about, if you were to have a fatal heart attack 4 years from now? To me, as long as my family is healthy and they are not homeless, and they are not hungry - I say, come what may. Money is not everything. I studied marketing, you probably know this, but I just want to remind you, you really dont need any of the stuff you think u need. Take Care People :)

Umm.. Again, here is my opinion and I seem to not be able to express myself the way I want to so I'll be delicate, In my view, I just think that the government should stop trying so hard. Some believe that EU is just trying to create requirements to put the government in a harder situation and that EU doesnt really want Turkey to join. Again, in my view, there is no need to try as much as the government does because then we look needy. Turkish people do not feel like they are not compatible with the EU or that they are not European. Most turkish people's interest has gone down because it seems like EU is just trying to pass time keeping us busy with requirements. So if you think that Turkish people has just given up on the idea because they cannot deal with it, you are wrong. EU is still deciding whether they should go further with this.. PS: where did you find such a cheap apartment in Turkey? I want one!

Some of you need to be more realistic, I for being born in the EU have great interest in Turkeys so called aspirations to join the EU. In a matter of fact Turkey may not join the EU for decades. I was reading an article by a Canadian Paper: http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=4ae18b6a-d597-47fa-bf29-2937a1b4139c My opinion is that I for one do not want Turkey to ever join the EU, they will not join the EU cause we will veto them and stop them. And two Turkey is not in Europe or European at all. Us Europeans want to preserve our European Heritage, its our blood man and us Europeans should be proud of being European and hold our heads high, I and a lot of my friends dont want some useless country joining the EU. I know that Turkey will never join the EU so I guess I can lay back and let Turkey get refused for life.