Speaking to a Spanish daily over the weekend, Turkish novelist and Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk said Europe has broken many hearts in Turkey.

In remarks to El Pais, Pamuk noted that the nature of relations between Turkey and Europe over the past decade has created adverse feelings. “I no longer lament the fact that Turkey does not look toward Europe. But Europe still remains a dream for the upper class in Turkey. However, the economic boom in the country has undermined the desire for Europe,” Pamuk said.

According to Pamuk, engaging with Europe stems from an economic desire. “The cause of the desire is not political or institutional,” he said.

In response to a question on what constitutes concerns in Turkey in political terms, Pamuk said there were two major issues and concerns.

“Military power has ebbed. For that reason, the nationalist bourgeoisie, which backed the military to preserve secularism [in the political landscape in the past], is now concerned. However, more than half of Turks believe in secularism,” he said.

Pamuk argued that the Kurdish question constitutes the primary issue in Turkey. He said the government does not know how to handle the issue in an evenhanded way. “The government still employs old-fashioned methods and tools to solve the issue,” Pamuk noted.

The Nobel Prize winner said there is not only an upper class based in Istanbul but also a new one that is emerging in Anatolia. “A new bourgeoisie that has religious roots and supports the Justice and Development Party [AK Party] is rising in Anatolia. This makes the Istanbul-based bourgeoisie feel uneasy,” Pamuk said.

Pamuk went on to say that the current government has made Turkey richer and more successful in the past decade. Istanbul and its bourgeoisie have also became richer. “The Istanbul bourgeoisie used its pro-Western stance to legitimize its prosperity and wealth,” he said, adding that new situation unnerves them.