Convergence or divergence: EU and Turkish foreign policy over the last decade

This chapter points to an attitude of both convergence and divergence between European and Turkish foreign policies. Both parties’ outlook towards the Balkans, Russia and the Caucasus suggests that interests could converge on a number of points, while the divergence can be partially explained by the evolution of Turkish foreign policy-making over the last decade. Furthermore, an increasingly strong link between domestic politics and foreign policy has encouraged Turkish policy-makers to adopt a more assertive and independent stance, occasionally at the expense of its relations with the Western alliance.