Despite still-existing deficiencies, one of the strong points of the Turkish democracy is its well-designed electoral procedures. The latest election, which took place on June 12, confirmed this once again. More than 40 million people went to the polling stations with practically no irregularity reported, and the computed results started to be announced only one hour after voting ended. The winner was the Justice and Development party (AKP), a conservative party deeply attached to religious values that has been in power since 2002. It won almost 50\\% of the votes and 326 of the 550 seats in the parliament and, thus, became the majority party again. The People’s Republican Party (CHP), which defines itself not very convincingly as a social democratic party, came second with nearly 26\\% of the votes and 135 seats in the parliament. The nationalist party MHP got 13\\% of the votes and 53 seats, while the BDP representing almost exclusively the Kurdish population obtained 36 seats.

One of the main issues to be tackled by the political parties once the parliament starts functioning will be the drafting of a new constitution. This will be an awesome task since the views of the parties differ widely on some crucial constitutional principles. The AKP was hoping to get 367 seats in the parliament, which would have enabled AKP to single-handedly adopt a new constitution. Alternatively, if it had obtained at least 330 seats it could have drafted a constitution and submit it to a referendum for approval by the people. The Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was hoping, through one of these methods, to abolish the present parliamentary system and replace it with a presidential system, which would have enabled him to become President of the Republic with wide executive powers. Now, with only 326 votes, he can no longer achieve his aim without the support of the opposition, which has no intention of facilitating his far-reaching objectives.

There are several articles in the present constitution adopted in 1982 that are extremely controversial. In particular, the Kurds believe that some of the wording has inherently racial connotations; CHP is strongly opposed to the modification of some articles, which they consider almost sacrosanct, because, in their view, they enunciate the fundamental philosophy of the Republic created by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1923.

A new constitution is not the only issue that will challenge the new parliament and government. The “Kurdish problem” will also remain extremely critical. Democracy cannot flourish and sustainable stability cannot be achieved as long as the PKK terrorism continues and the Kurdish population considers that its cultural identity is not fully recognized. On the other hand, it should be clear to the Kurds that any erosion of the existing unitary state system—any arrangement for regional autonomy—will never be accepted. However, some decentralization encompassing the entire country could be envisaged while maintaining the exclusive responsibility of the central government in crucial areas, such as internal and external security. In this respect, the regional system of France could serve as a model.

The elections took place a time when the world’s attention was focused on what is called the “Arab Spring” in North Africa and the Middle East. This is a spring accompanied by violent storms, and Turkey is particularly affected by them. Some 9,000 Syrians fleeing violence and persecution have already crossed the border and requested refuge in Turkey. The civil war in Libya has dealt a heavy blow to large scale Turkish investments there. In Iraq, the relative political stability, which was achieved after last year’s elections, is still precarious. The new Turkish Government will face daunting challenges in the Middle East and of one them is, of course, repairing Turkish-Israeli relations, which have been badly damaged over the last two years.

The foreign policy issues that the new AKP Government will confront are not limited to the Middle East. The accession process to the European Union has to be revitalized. The Cyprus conflict, which constitutes one of the main obstacles to accession to the EU, remains without a solution since 1963.The initiative to normalize relations with Armenia is still stalled. AKP should more energetically tackle all these problems in the early months of the new mandate and also seek the support of the opposition. Experience has shown that the best period for a government to tackle difficult problems are the first six months. After that all political parties usually concentrate their attention solely on the next elections.

Some people have been surprised by the extent of AKP’s victory. They assumed that, after nine years in power and some controversial policies and attitudes perceived as authoritarian or ideological, the support for AKP would inevitably diminish. To a large extent, the media propagated this opinion as well. The CHP leadership tried to convey the image of a party very confident of its own victory. But they were forgetting that what really matters is economic growth and the scale and quality of social services. In these two areas the performance of AKP is indeed impressive. To give just a few examples, the GDP which was 230 billion dollars in 2002 has now reached the level of 736 billion dollars. The per capita GDP is now 10,000 dollars. At a time when countries such as Spain, Portugal, and particularly Greece have accumulated foreign debts surpassing their GDP, Turkey’s foreign debt is equivalent to only 28.7\\% of GDP. The economic development has permitted a vast extension of social services. Between 2003 and 2011, some 500 hospitals and 1384 clinics have been built. All citizens have now medical insurance. Most of the people living in shanty towns have now moved to modern apartment houses.

It would be wrong to say that the picture is rosy in every respect. The Turkish democracy is far from being perfect. There have been some attempts to intimidate the media, the freedom of expression continues to be limited, minority rights are not fully respected, and the justice system is in need of substantial reforms. But the remedy to all these problems is still democracy. As Winston Churchill has said, “Democracy is the worst political system, except all the others.”

If I were to choose a single piece of evidence of Turkey’s “Europeanness,” it would be the city of Istanbul. The City of Seven Hills and a Thousand Names now has two additional titles: 2010 European Capital of Culture and 2012 European Capital of Sports. Indeed, it is impossible to think that the European Union would be complete without Istanbul and Turkey.

Looking at the neighborhood of the Ortaköy Office of the Secretariat General for European Union Affairs,I cannot help but think that there is no better demonstration of the European Union’s motto “United in Diversity.” Where else would you possibly find amosque, a synagogue and a church so close to each other? Strolling through Istanbul, this “unity in diversity” is repeated over and over: with different cultural heritages, different paths of life, different beliefs living together, all contributing to the hectic, vibrant life of this cosmopolis.

The energy around the city reflects the dynamism of the country. Turkey is no meek candidate waiting for the European Union to bail out its economy or create employment. It is today the robust man of Europe, both in terms of its economy and its mature democratic institutions.

Turkey, which has started membership negotiations with the European Union, has made major progress in the last decade. From eradication of worst forms of child labor to constitutional amendments that further enhance individual rights and liberties; from major steps for a cleaner environment to greater food safety; Turkey has inched closer to the European Union standards every day, despite political barriers put forward by some circles in the European Union member states.

The 6th largest economy in Europe, Turkey has maintained an annual growth rate of 8.9\\\% that was beyond the expectations of the European Commission. Its dynamic labor force and its innovative private sector is far from being a burden to the European Union. On the contrary, it will provide the much-needed momentum to the stagnating European Union.

Turkey contains the word “key.” Located in a strategic and significant geography, Turkey has an indispensible role for resolving regional and global disputes. Today, more than ever, Turkey pursues an active policy of trouble-shooting, mediating and in helping diminish human suffering around the world. This is one of the focal points of our multi-dimensional, pro-active foreign policy that aims to spread European values and democratic rights around the globe.This includes areas such as the Middle East and North Africa, which claim the attention of the whole world. Turkey’s key role would strengthen the bridges between the EU and the Middle Eastern countries.

Europe’s current external and internal threats with regards to terrorism and immigration may be better resolved by Turkey’s active defense and security role. As far as energy security is concerned, Europe’s natural gas needs are more crucial than ever. Since Turkey is an energy corridor between Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, it can strengthen the EU’s energy security significantly. Turkey is working very hard with its European partners on the Nabucco Project in orderto supply secure and reliable energy to Europe.

In summary, Turkey’s membership would support the EU’s enlargement policy by bringing peace with history, strengthening European Common Foreign and Security Policy and harmonizing various civilizations.

Despite the mutual benefits of Turkey’s membership to the EU, political obstacles have been slowing down Turkey’s EU membership process. If political obstacles are lifted, Turkey is ready to open 16 more chapters in addition to the 13 chapters which are already opened, and to close 12 more. All in all, on almost every possible account, the EU needs Turkey as much as, or even more than Turkey needs the EU, and both will be better off by Turkish accession.

Considering the current position of Turkey regionally and internationally, it is time for the Phoenician princess to unite Anatolia and Europe.