immac

An old Turkish saying is that Turkey "is a man running West on a ship heading East." All the major events that threaten Turkey are East and South of her borders while many of the oportunities lie in Europe. Turkey being seen by some in the west as a buffer between the muslim world and Europe may be too uncomfortable a position to hold.
All the people making the most welcoming sounds are East and South; Russia in particular is making huge efforts to work with Turkey on mutually beneficial projects. Actions speak louder than words, and most of what they get from Europe is words, and critical words at that.

Ian