Foreign Trade Relations Under The Background Of Turkey 's Diplomatic Transformation

Since Justice and Development Party (AKP) took power tenyears ago, Turkey’s diplomacy has experienced remarkableadjustments and transformation. For decades, joining EU has alwaysbeen the priority of Turkey’s diplomacy. After AKP came to power,it at one hand maintained its traditional EU diplomacy, and on theother hand promoted the ‘Zero Problem’ diplomacy to improverelations with its neighboring countries. Moreover, it also spared noefforts to develop relations with powers like Russia and China andmeddled in regional affairs. Since the breakout of the Arab Spring,Turkey proactively participated in regional affairs, thus its regionalinfluence had a great leap. In the layout of Turkey’s diplomacy, the‘oriental diplomacy’ to develop relations with the Middle Eastcountries, Russia and China bears a heavier weight than ever beforeand it’s increasingly equally important with its traditional ‘westerndiplomacy’ to join EU.In the course of Turkey’s transformation, its foreign economicand trade relations also has a distinctive change.Turkey’s foreign trade relations developed in full swing.Although EU remains its largest trade partner, but the trade sharewith EU in Turkey’s overall foreign trade has a great slip. Conversely,Turkey’s trade relations with Middle East got much closer and itstrade with China underwent rapid progress as well.Turkey’s foreign energy cooperation has been deepening. Otherthan satisfying domestic energy demands, constructing a regional energy transporting hub is anther strategic goal of Turkey. Its energyrelations with Russia, Central Asia countries, Caucasus countrieshave been strengthened. Besides, its energy cooperation with Gulfstate has been accelerating.Domestic interest groups have stronger influence on foreignpolicy than ever before. In the past decades, Turkey’s interest groupshave risen up rapidly in terms of quantity and strength. Interestgroups have increasingly multiple ways to impact foreign policymaking, therefore interest groups could exert more influence on itsforeign policyThis paper tries to expound the process of Turkey’s diplomacytransformation and the change of its foreign economic and traderelations in order to explore their interaction. The transformation offoreign policy facilitated the deepening of its foreign economic andtrade relations. The deepening of its foreign economic and traderelations in return greatly promoted the transformation of its foreignpolicy.