CONSOLIDATION OF THE TURKIC WORLD IN THE IDEOLOGY AND POLITICAL PRACTICE OF OFFICIAL ANKARA (Retrospective Stage-by-Stage Analysis)

Abstract

Since the end of the 1980s, Turkey has been keeping a sharp eye on the changes that occurred in the Soviet Union and then on the events that have been going on since its disintegration in the post-Soviet expanse. Ankara’s attention has been primarily directed toward the Turkic-speaking nations closest to it linguistically and culturally, in particular the independent Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan. As early as September 1991 (with Moscow’s permission), the Turkish leaders made an official trip to the still Union republics of Central Asia to get a feel for their intentions and possibly find closer rapport and more enhanced relations with them.1 And on 16 December of the same year, Turkey was the first country in the world to officially recognize the state independence of Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.  Developing relations with the Central Asian republics and the Caucasus raised Ankara’s authority and graphically demonstrated the importance and need for the Turkish presence in this region, as well as its growing role as an alternative power on the international arena. It should be noted that the West, particularly the U.S., encouraged Turkey’s intentions to develop relations with the new post-Soviet states, primarily with the Central Asian and South Caucasian countries. The Western capitals believed that this cooperation would stem any rise in Iranian, Afghan, and Chinese influence in this region. The West was also keen to see the new states lessen their dependence on Russia. On the other hand, when encouraging Ankara to establish closer cooperation with this part of the world, Western circles kept in mind that, in striving to reinforce their independent status and accelerate their entry onto the international arena, these young states would also lean toward Turkey, a country with which they feel a certain amount of affinity in terms of language, culture, and religion. What is more, Turkey up-holds a pro-Western policy and supports secular development, in which respect it has accumulated much positive experience.