Session I: Turkey and the EU’s common foreign and security policy Turkey’s role in European security has changed drastically following the end of the Cold War. Many experts expect the accession of Turkey – with its geostrategic location and large army -- to enhance the EU’s ability to act in volatile regions such as the Middle East and the Caucasus. Turkey is the only member of the Organization of Islamic Countries that has diplomatic relations with Israel. It is a long-standing member of NATO and it has taken part in missions in the Balkans and in Afghanistan. Both the report of the Independent Commission on Turkey and the European Commission’s 2004 ‘regular’ report emphasize that Turkey’s greatest contribution to the European Union will be in terms of security. But how Turkey will align itself with the EU’s existing common foreign and security policy (CFSP) remains one of the most hotly debated subjects in Turkey’s accession process. On the one hand, the EU is still working hard to turn the CSFP into a genuinely effective and far-reaching common policy. If Turkey is to make a valuable contribution to the CSFP, that policy needs to be more clearly defined and more effectively implemented. On the other hand, Turkey’s own foreign policy is changing and in some cases its objectives and interests may not be easily aligned with that of the existing EU countries, in particular where Turkey’s policy on Cyprus and Armenia is concerned.

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