Türkiye’nin Yumuşak Güç Politikaları Çerçevesinde TİKA’nın Kuzey Makedonya’daki Faaliyetleri
TIKA’s Activities in North Macedonia within the Framework of Türkiye’s Soft Power Policies

Summary/Abstract: Following the Cold War, Türkiye began to make greater use of soft power instruments in its foreign policy. To strengthen its public diplomacy efforts, the Turkish government established several institutions, most notably the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA). The main research question of this study is: "How and to what extent do TIKA’s activities in North Macedonia contribute to Türkiye’s soft power?" Within this framework, the study examines Türkiye’s soft power policies towards North Macedonia through the case of TIKA. The article first outlines the theoretical framework by discussing the concepts of soft power and public diplomacy. It then analyses TIKA’s activities in North Macedonia in areas such as education, culture, social development, and cultural heritage, discussing how these activities contribute to Türkiye’s soft power policy. This research aims to make a modest contribution to the literature by presenting a study specifically focused on North Macedonia, complementing existing studies that address Türkiye’s soft power policies towards the Balkans from a broader regional perspective. This study employs document analysis as its primary qualitative research method. To this end, TIKA’s activity reports, institutional publications, news sources, and the relevant literature were examined. The findings indicate that TIKA’s activities have contributed to strengthening the cultural and social ties between Türkiye and North Macedonia. The findings further suggest that TIKA’s development projects in North Macedonia make a significant contribution to enhancing Türkiye's soft power capacity.

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