Changing state preferences of greece towards Turkey's EU accession on the road to the Helsinki summit of 1999

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b1648978 (Table of Contents)

Greece and Turkey cannot be regarded as the bosom neighbors of all time as relations between two have been strained several times thought the course of history. However, 1999 Helsinki Summit of the EU could be rendered as a major turning point in Greco-Turkish relations history as an attempt to break down the ages-old antagonism between two countries. Having a specific term as “Greco-Turkish Rapprochement” or “Détente” in literature, such reconciliation has been analyzed by various scholars from sociological or constructivist point of views such as the disaster diplomacy following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Greece in 1999 and 2000, major efforts of diplomatic actors namely Ismail Cem and Yorgo Papandreu or contributions of notable public figures and intelligentsia. This thesis would like to bring a pure rationalist approach to Greco-Turkish Rapprochement and seeks to understand the changing state preferences of Greece and Europeanization of Greek Foreign Policy towards Turkey’s EU Accession on the road to the Helsinki Summit of 1999. In attempt to explain the underlying reasons behind Greece’s shifted foreign policy approach to Turkey, this thesis examines the major political parties in Greek polity and how domestic actors, particularly, public opinion, have influenced them. As an external factor playing an important role in Greek foreign policy making, the significant impact of the European Union will also be discussed.