TURKEY AND THE WESTERN BALKANS A VIEW FROM POLAND
TURKEY AND THE WESTERN BALKANS A VIEW FROM POLAND

Author(s): Adam Balcer
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Geopolitics
Published by: ISAC - Centar za međunarodne i bezbednosne poslove
Keywords: Turkey–Western Balkans Relations; Turkish Foreign Policy; Strategic Depth Doctrine; Ahmet Davutoğlu; Soft Power Diplomacy; European Union Integration
Summary/Abstract: Resume of the Lecture at the Institute for European Studies in Belgrade June 23rd 2011 . During the past few years, experts and the media have often spoken about “the return of Turkey to the Western Balkans”, i.e. about the growth of the economic and political influence of Turkey in this region. Turkey is undoubtedly quite an important country for the Western Balkans, whose influence is constantly on the rise. What is more, the Balkans is important for Turkey as a region where it has the greatest influence in Europe and which plays a role as a sort of a bridge towards the West. However, Turkey does not have a decisive influence on the foreign policy orientation of the countries in the region. The influence is more visible in the countries with a higher percentage of Muslim population: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia, and as well in Kosovo. Therefore, the position of Turkey could be compared with the one of Russia, which holds a similar influence over the Orthodox population in the region. In Serbia, this new role of Turkey in the Western Balkans is often exaggerated. The Western Balkans are naturally important for the Turkish interests, but to much lesser extent than it is speculated in the public. For Turkey itself, much more important are the Middle East, the Black Sea basin and the former USSR republics. The single biggest foreign policy challenge for Turkey is the future of Iraq, because of the Kurdish issue. Although Turkey has the potential to play a much more significant part in the Western Balkans, its leadership is aware of the relatively small chances of challenging the predominant influence of the European Union (EU) in the region.

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