The changing relationship between Turkey and Middle Eastern countries and its background

The Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) cordially invites you to a public webinar entitled “The changing relationship between Turkey and Middle Eastern countries and its background” featuring Ms. Asli Aydıntaşbaş, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Since the resignation of Former Prime Minister Davutoğlu in 2016, Turkey has changed its diplomatic policy with the intention to show greater presence as a regional power. In 2020 particularly, Turkey adopted many hard-line diplomatic policies, such as stronger intervention in the Libyan Civil War, confrontation in the East Mediterranean region over natural gas, and the involvement in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. 

From late 2020 to 2021, however, Turkey has moved toward improving the deteriorated relations with Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. At the end of 2020, it was reported that members of the Turkish and Israeli intelligence agencies had a discussion. Meetings at the Deputy Foreign Ministerial level have been held with Egypt twice in May and August 2021, while Turkey moves toward pursuing a détente among neighboring Middle Eastern countries as seen in the visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs Çavuşoğlu to Saudi Arabia in May for the first time in four years.

In this webinar, Ms. Asli Aydıntaşbaş, who is a specialist in Turkish politics and diplomacy, will talk about the changes in Turkish diplomacy and its implications, as well as the international situation, domestic politics, and the economy in Turkey. During the subsequent panel discussion, the panelists will discuss the issues from the viewpoints of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.