IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas delivered a speech at the panel entitled “Turkey-EU: Problems, Opportunities and Scenarios” organised by TUSIAD Foreign Policy Forum on 26 April 2018. At the meeting moderated by Foreign Policy Forum Director and Professor of Political Science at Boğaziçi University Hakan Yılmaz, TUSIAD Secretary General Bahadır Kaleağası and Undersecretary of the Ministry for EU Affairs Ambassador Selim Yenel delivered the opening speeches.

Following the opening speeches, Assoc. Prof. Özlem Kaygusuz from Ankara University shared the findings of the research report on the possible future perspectives of Turkey-EU relations with participants and following the introduction of the report the panel session was held. During the session which was moderated by Prof. Hakan Yılmaz, IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas, retired Ambassador Selim Kuneralp, Istanbul Kültür University lecturer Assoc. Prof. Özge Zihnioğlu and Ankara University lecturer Assoc. Prof. Kaygusuz discussed the current status and the future of Turkey-EU relations within the framework of values and interests dilemma.

During her speech, IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas expressed that the perception of a “backsliding EU” present in the public space does not comply with the reality and evaluated that the EU has not lost its vision of “converged union” and is in the middle of a transformation. IKV Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Çiğdem Nas underlined that Turkey must not lose its EU membership objective in such an atmosphere. While stressing the need for Turkey to continue its membership objective, Nas underlined the high importance of the membership in terms of both strategic and interests and highlighted the need for the rejuvenation of the faith towards the membership in public space.