More than year a ago I published article Turkey could join Eurasian Union were I tried to compare economy of Turkey by using GDP and GDP per capita for time period 2000-2012.
I found that Turkey might reach $1 trillion of GDP by the end of 2016, so did I found that Economy of Turkey has increased for about 3 times (2000-2012)
I did used following words a year ago:
That said makes me think, that Turkey has no serious plans to join Eurasian Union. IMHO Turkey is teasing European Union. And why shouldn't? Turkey has long, long history on it's attempts to join European Union, but there always are some obstacles from EU side. And that makes Turkey angry.
I ended that article with following words:
So that's said - I still not believe in any serious Turkey attempts to join Eurasian Union, I doubt Turkey's will to relay on Customs Union trade agreements, which would more likely to slow down Turkey's economy. I'm sure that will be accepted Germany offer for Turkey like it's with Norway. EU + Turkey.
On other hand - the ball is on Russian side now - Russians should act quickly, if they want to see Turkey in Eurasian Union. They should offer Turkey something really, really tempting.
Now - today I red an article Revitalized Turkey drifts away from Europe and towards Eurasia on RT (Russia Today) by Bryan MacDonald and I will re-publish some of the authors findings on my blog:
...Relations between Moscow and Ankara have been making headlines due to a new gas deal which will replace the ill-fated South Stream project. Nevertheless, from a Turkish perspective, warmer relations with Russia are part of a greater pivot to Eurasia. After flirting with Europe for decades and being constantly spurned, Turkey no longer seeks to be an attachment to a failing EU. Indeed, many Turks expressed the view that being rejected by Brussels has turned out to be a lucky escape...
...While Europe has spent six years flailing around for solutions to its economic malaise and lurching from one crisis to another, it’s been another story entirely in Turkey. Its economy grew by 9.2 percent in 2010, with a projected four percent increase this year. By contrast, the EU managed a meagre two percent in 2010, and an astonishingly paltry 0.1 percent is predicted for 2014. Thus, it’s fairly clear that Turkey benefits from keeping the Brussels behemoth at arm’s length...
...Turkey may also be a potential member of an expanded BRICS alliance, as it continues to slide away from its Cold War position in the pro-American camp. The nation is transitioning from being a relatively poor, 20th century backwater to a revanchist major power in the 21st...
...In foreign policy, much has changed. AKP’s leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, takes a firm pro-Palestinian line in the Middle East, which has diluted Turkey’s traditionally close relations with Washington and Tel Aviv...
...The present internal dialogue, in all corners of the country, concerns how far Turkey has drifted away from its traditional allies – the USA, Israel, and the EU – and which relationships it must develop instead. While no consensus exists, the concept currently winning out is the notion of becoming a Eurasian power. Ankara is now looking more to Moscow or Beijing than Washington or Berlin...
Though I cannot agree to all findings listed above, the part of Growing Turkeys Economy of 9.2% and 4%, while a "slow" growth at EU of 2% and 0.1%. It's hard to compare developing economy with developed economy, right? I can agree on one - Turkey has become a major player - but I still doubt Turkey will chose Russia or Eurasian Union for long term run.