US defence minister Robert Gates said that the EU's refusal to accept Turkey as a member is partly to blame for Ankara's deteriorating relations with Israel and for pushing the country into the arms of Islamic states, a suggestion firmly rejected by Brussels.
Turkey's drift has nothing to do with the EU keeping Turkey at a distance, any more than Israel "caused" Turkey to downgrade relations with Israel.
The Turkish prime minister protests loudly at the "dirty propaganda":
Speaking at a Turkish-Arab forum, Erdogan pointed to French investments in Syria and other Arab countries, adding: "But when it comes to Turkey investing in Arab countries or vice versa, a dirty propaganda is trying to impede this process."
"Those who say that Turkey has broken away from the West are the intermediaries of an ill-intentioned propaganda," he said.
"We are open to all parts of the world. We are not open to one and closed to another," he insisted.
Many in Turkey and the West are concerned that NATO's sole mainly Muslim member is sliding away, pointing at a severe crisis with Israel over its bloody raid on aid ships last week and Turkey's "no" vote on fresh sanctions against Iran Wednesday.
Erdogan's Islamist-rooted government has sought a stronger Turkish role in the Middle East, notably improving ties with Muslim countries, among them former foes Syria and Iran.
Erdogan has a point about France and other European countries, because, really, Turkish anti-Semitism is simply catching up with Europe's views.
Turkey is sliding away from the West and Europe had nothing to do with it. I can only hope that we can strengthen the pro-Westerners inside Turkey and resist their slide toward an Islamic republic.
