It has been a long and challenging road for Turkey as it bids to join the European Union.
Some analysts say Ankara's recent decision to ban the pro-kurdish Democratic Society Party, will not helped its cause.Turkey's laws allowing the outlawing of some political parties have previously been critcised by the EU.
But for many Turks the closure of the DTP is about democracy, while others question whether the EU was ever serious about allowing them to join the club anyway.
Zeina Khodr reports from Istanbul.
