A European Turkey could deliver reform to Muslim world

The west displayed an astonishing lack of empathy for Turkey during their recent coup attempt, writes Carl Bildt. Now, more than ever, we must help it build democracy and reform

ISTANBUL, in western Turkey, is one of Europe’s great cities. As Constantinople, it was the capital of the Roman and Byzantine Empires, and after its capture and renaming by Mehmed II in 1453, it served as the capital of the Ottoman Empire for nearly another 500 years.

Throughout its history, the city on the western side of the Bosphorus Strait separating Europe from Asia has been an epicentre of the relationship between the geopolitical West and East. And Istanbul will most likely continue to play that role, given the current importance of mostly Christian Europe’s relationship with the wider Muslim world.