Rival or Awkward Partner? Turkey’s Relationship With the West in the Balkans

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In The Media

Carnegie Europe

Rival or Awkward Partner? Turkey’s Relationship With the West in the Balkans

While Ankara’s activist policy in Southeast Europe has prompted many to see the country as a revisionist power, this is not the case. Turkey is not an external player but very much part of the Balkans, and its foreign policy is a parallel strategy to those of the EU and NATO, rather than a challenge.

By Dimitar Bechev

Published on Jan 26, 2022

Southeast European and Black Sea Studies

About the Author

Dimitar Bechev

Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe

Bechev is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, where he focuses on EU enlargement, the Western Balkans, and Eastern Europe.

Recent Work

Commentary
Global Instability Makes Europe More Attractive, Not Less
- Dimitar Bechev
Commentary
How the Western Balkans Can Contribute to European Defense
- Dimitar Bechev, Iliriana Gjoni

Security Foreign Policy Russia Türkiye Eastern Europe Middle East Iran

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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Rival or Awkward Partner? Turkey’s Relationship With the West in the Balkans