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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Turkey’s Relations With the Central Asian Countries and Europen Union
Author(s)
Sadık Rıdvan Karluk, Sevilay Küçüksakarya
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DOI:10.17265/2328-7144/2015.0708.004
Affiliation(s)
Sadık Rıdvan Karluk, professor, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Economics, Turgut Ozal University, Ankara, Turkey.
Sevilay Küçüksakarya, Ph.D., assistant professor, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Economics, Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this paper, in the light of recent developments, is to analyze whether or not there is an axial drift in Turkey, which is a part of Europe. With the decision of the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany, after the collapse of the wall, known as the iron curtain, built on August 13, 1961 in Berlin, the Soviet Union disintegrated on the date of December 25, 1991 and a new unipolar restructure came into view. New hopes, uncertainties, and new threats were brought along by the US-led restructuring. The Cold War period ended, a drastic change process with the Eurasian axis in the international relations started to be lived in, and the world order based on the the nuclear balance between the East and the West also died out. Having been located at the intersection point of Europe and Asia and therefore of strategic importance, Central Asia has been bringing together the two continents for centuries. In this geography, Turkey has been the first country to recognize the Republics that have gained their independence for the last 20 years. Starting in 1991, the relations between Turkey and Central Asia countries progressed swiftly. Turkey, on one hand, has been developing the economical and political relations with the aforesaid countries, but on the other hand, it has also been continuing to progress on the course of being granted a full membership to the EU (European Union). Turkey has been the only Muslim country to head towards the West since Tanzimat (the Reformations in 1839). Besides, Turkey, by having preserved the cultural values, having adopted the democratic principles, having a common border with the Western world, and being her neighbour, is the only and the most developed country to have chosen the West on the economic, cultural, social, and sporting areas among the 57 Islamic countries existing in the world. Turkey, with different political and economic systems, is ready to contribute towards ensuring peace and economic prosperity in Central Asia and Eurasia. The diplomatic activity demonstrated by Turkey in its region was interpreted by some parties as undergoing a shift in the axis of the country and becoming Islamized. The development preparing the ground for the emergence of the axis debates in Turkey is that the relationship between Turkey and EU has come to a dead end. While about 80% of the public supporting for full membership in the years of 1999-2005, this proportion dropped to 40% in recent years. Without the support of the public opinion, no government in the Republic of Turkey will be enthusiastic about the EU membership, as it is, the relations between Turkey and the Western world will decline and the axis shift in Turkey will perhaps become a fact in this case. For this reason, an initiative, called Positive Agenda, was launched for the purpose of not breaking off the relations and preventing Turkey from setting sail for new shores. This new approach is not targeting to replace but to complete the accession process, and the development of the more constructive and positive relationship between EU and Turkey is targeted as well. The world’s economic axis will shift from the West to the East in the next 50 years. The harsh criticism of the double standards of the West voiced by Turkey in the non-Western regions, such as the Middle East, the Balkans, and the Caucasus, is causing to be perceived by the Western world as Turkey is not a partner but a competitive power and the close relationship with the groups and the actors against the West in the Middle East is leading to interrogate about what kind of partner it will be in Europe. When NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was formed 63 years ago, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, that the Central Asia countries would gain their independence, that two-block structure of Europe would disappear, and that the Warsaw Pact would disband, could not be predicted by any one. Axis is shifting from the West to the East. By realizing this fact, Turkey has to determine a new strategy. As a result, in this statement, the position of Turkey, which is a part of Asia and Europe, against the latest development in the region, will be analyzed.
KEYWORDS
Central Asian countries, Turkey, Europe, EU, Cold War, independence
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