Report decries EU missteps in ties with Turkey

Bilateral relations with Turkey and relations with Turkey on the Cyprus issue were two of the least successful European Union policies last year, according to a report released Wednesday by a pan-European think tank. Bilateral relations with Turkey and relations with the country on regional issues have also been two very divisive issues, concluded Europe's Foreign Policy Scorecard, the first comprehensive annual assessment of the bloc's performance on the world stage, published by the European Council of Foreign Relations (ECFR). "2010 was supposed to be the year of European foreign policy, but it ended up being the year in which foreign policy was marginalized," the report read, adding that the EU's slow and halting response to dramatic events, such as this year's turmoil in the Middle East and other crucial issues, again indicated the importance of the Lisbon Treaty, which for the first time created tools for the EU to develop a coherent and effective foreign policy. The reports said relations with Turkey and on the Cyprus issue were prominent EU foreign policy failures, among other issues such as the rule of law and human rights in China, media freedom in Russia, stability and human rights in the northern Caucasus, G-20 relations with Russia, and crisis management in Kyrgyzstan.