A case for a key country: Turkey in Europe and beyond Evaluation Note/ N. Murat Ersavcı

“Peace at home, peace in the world” – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

This seemingly straightforward and powerful maxim still constitutes the main pillar of the Turkish Foreign Policy, which has always been peaceful, realistic and consistent. Why such an emphasis on peace? Well the Turkish Republic was born out of war, continuous warfare between 1911 and 1923, but also a series of wars by our opponents from 1808 throughout the 19th century which threatened our very existence. There were very few years when we were completely at peace. For Ataturk, when he established the Turkish Republic in 1923 it was of the utmost importance for survival to assure permanent peace within and outside of the country, beyond ideology or rhetoric.

If you want to understand the challenges Turkish foreign policy is designed to cope with, take a quick glance at the map. I want to emphasize this, because I believe that if you realize that peace and security are the leitmotivs of the Turkish foreign policy, this may give you a better insight into it. For example, you will understand why Turkey still is exploring all diplomatic avenues for a peaceful solution over ie. Iran, Libya, the Middle-East and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Do not allow yourself to be distracted by talk about shifting and changing the axis of Turkish foreign policy. Current policies do not imply that Turkey will draw away from her alliance with the West. A quick look at Turkish Foreign Policy will reveal three distinct periods, characterized by a constant effort for peace building.

You may read evaluation note from here.