Negative statements and actions by EU leaders have played a key role in discouraging Turkey. Turkey’s recent activism in the Middle East, which is widely misread as a departure from the West is certainly encouraged by the frustrations with the EU. From this vantage point, it is healthier to interpret the dramatically deepened and broadened economic and energy relations between Turkey and Iran (and Russia) in recent weeks and months as Turkey’s way of saying “I am here, important and relevant for your policies more than you think!”