Re-configuring EU-Turkey Relations: New Visions for Foreign Policy Cooperation towards a Shared Regional Future

With the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan and the continuation of overlapping security and stability challenges across much of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), foreign policy cooperation between the EU and Turkey is assuming greater relevance than in the past. Nonetheless, despite the existence of several areas of mutual concern (from migration to energy supplies and the need for inclusive reconciliation initiatives in various conflict and post-conflict settings), bilateral relations have often been strained and at times even conflictual. Departing from the assumption that space for cooperation clearly does exist (and is desirable for both actors), the project investigated the respective foreign policy approaches of Europe and Turkey towards five regional case studies (Afghanistan, Eastern Mediterranean, Iraq, Libya and Syria). It then mapped areas of cooperation or divergence in each of these contexts, advancing policy recommendations to promote more genuine and sustainable cooperation and understanding between the viewpoints and interests of the two actors looking to the future.

The project was co-led by the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) and the Istanbul Policy Center (IPC).

Funding: Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation