Turkey Reaches Out to Muslim Neighbours

By Soner Cagaptay
Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst, March 2008


Early indications from Turkey's Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi: AKP), which assumed governance for the second time in July 2007, render it possible to make certain predictions about the future of Turkish foreign policy. The AKP will likely continue its hallmark policy of good ties with the US, while increasingly sympathising with the Muslim countries of the Middle East. The AKP successfully balanced good relations with the US and solidarity with Muslim countries and concerns during its first term between 2002 and 2007. Can the party keep this balance in its second term?

New Policy

Realising that its predecessor the Welfare Party (Refah Partisi: RP) fell from power in 1997, in part because of its anti-American policies, the AKP adopted a pragmatic, pro-American policy even before it came to power in November 2002. AKP leader and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, now the Turkish president, visited Washington after assuming power, promising full co-operation with the US. Washington seized this opportunity, benefiting from close Turkish co-operation on Iraq and Afghanistan, and enjoying access to the government in Ankara in ways that would not have been possible had a secular party been in power....


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