We cannot negotiate with this mentality

The Turkish and EU public sees each other as enemies. Each side has their own doubts and fears. This should be stopped as soon as possible.

Let’s not forget that it is not enough to be successful at the negotiation table. Eventually, it will be up to the Turkish and the EU public to have the last say.
Even though the Turkish public may be seen as pro-Europe once the negotiations are underway, Turkey will face so many obstacles that those who are silent today will be welcomed back as heroes.
Moreover, we shouldn’t deceive ourselves. There are no institutions or serious support groups that the EU can depend upon. Most of the academics are waging a silent opposition to the process. The students they teach look up to them and demand their “independence.” The judiciary is also against the process. The President’s Office had its doubts from the start. We all know about what the military thinks. What can we say about the unions and the vocational associations? We will see how the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TÜBITAK) and the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB), which have been pro-EU until now, divide into camps when their personal interests are threatened.
Turkey will not be able to negotiate with such opposition.

If ignorance and prejudice is not eliminated, no government can reach an agreement in the negotiations. We will be forced to give up, which is exactly what some groups in Europe want. Then, Turkey will face an even worse situation. We will be forced to face today’s problems, only they will be even more serious.
The attitude of Europe is even worse. Prejudices are greater than expected. Moreover, because Turkey has been turned into a domestic political issue, things will get worse before they get better. Let us not forget that even if some Turkish government miraculously completes the negotiations, two or three EU members will call a referendum on the matter and most probably reject it.

Only solution is an immediate public relations campaign

There is only one way to change the present outlook.
We need to spend money, hire experts and initiate a huge public relations and education campaign, both in Turkey and Europe.
There is no other way we can resolve this problem.
No matter how much oratory we use, it won’t be enough.
We need to spend a great amount of money and free this process from the hand of bureaucracy. If not, a decade will pass and when you start to think everything is done, you will be faced with a overwhelming force of EU public opinion.
We shall lose and we will have nothing to complain about. The masters of conspiracy theories will wake up and say: “Didn’t we tell you so? They had no intention of welcoming us in. The referendum was just a ploy.”
Personally I am afraid about the mentality of the Turkish bureaucracy and the ignorance of the Turkish public. Only a few are knowledgeable on the issue, but they fail to make their voices heard. Those who have no idea of what is happening dominate the airwaves with their rubbish.

That is why I say we need to initiate an education campaign:
1. In the short-term, a series of conferences should be held to inform the media and the bureaucracy to explain what the negotiations entail and what all of us should be careful of.
2. In the medium-term, universities, non-governmental organizations, vocational associations and institutions should be briefed on the necessary information.
3. A campaign to inform the public through the media should be started.
I can almost hear you say: “Who cares. Who will waste time on these matters?” But let us not forget that the EU train has left the station. If we try to get off the train now, we shall have to jump. We will face a serious crisis if we try to abandon the process now.