Turkey’s prime minister arrived in Brussels on Sunday aiming to revive the country’s stalled bid for European Union membership, which is under threat from tensions over Cyprus, political stasis within Turkey and waning EU enthusiasm for enlargement.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is making his first visit to EU headquarters since December 2004, when he secured the opening of accession talks after tense negotiations. Almost immediately, a series of political crises distracted Turkey from the reforms needed for accession, EU opinion became more overtly hostile, and a sense of mutual disillusion set in.