Croatia to join EU in 2013

[kronic]

History dies hard in some places. The Austrians will have Croatia in the EU well before Turkey gets seriously considered, that's for damn sure. The world just isn't put together the right way, should the opposite occur. Just like Sweden doesn't give a rat's ass about Croatia, but for reasons of history is strikingly positive to Turkish membership.

That's interesting. What are these historic reasons for Sweden to support Turkish membership?

 

[Verbose]

That's interesting. What are these historic reasons for Sweden to support Turkish membership?

I always liked the fact that Sweden in the 18th c. had a whole string of Archbishops of the Church of Sweden who all spoke excellent Turkish.

As it were, Sweden had two centuries long major strategic allies: France and the Ottomans. All three had beef with the Habsburgs in the 17th c., and the Swedes and Ottomans later both had specific concerns about Russia in the 18th.

Anyway, Sweden's two largest and most important embassies in the 17th and 18th c.s were located in Paris and Constantinople respectively. Since the Swedish Legation in Constantinopolis was the largest of any Protestant country, the Legation Priest was also the one to conduct the joint Sunday service for all Protestant diplomats there. The opportunities for hobnobbing and generally feeling the waters of international politics were such that the position of Legation Priest became an important stepping stone in a Swedish ecclesiastical career back in the day.

Ottoman - Turks - allies, the consistent not back-stabbing kind, by Swedish historic sentiment. Not the most rational line of thought of course, but residual Austrian loyalty towards the erstwhile Croatian border guards against the Ottomans isn't really either. (Having had a bunch of Turkish, not least Kurdish, immigrants around since the 1970's has meant a certain familiarity as well.)

 

[REDY]

Hmm...didnt know it. Its a realy strange friendship.