Turkey’s Relations with the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in the 21st Century: In Search of Strategic Autonomy

Вестник Волгоградского государственного университета. Серия 4: История. Регионоведение. Международные отношения. 2024. Vol. 29. No. 1. P. 193–202.

Шерстюков С. А.

Introduction. Turkey’s search for a new regional and global role in a changing world order has
increased Ankara’s attention to the Global South, which was peripheral to its foreign policy priorities during the
Cold War. Although Ankara’s growing engagement and influence in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region
has attracted increasing attention from the research community, Turkey’s foreign policy in this region is still poorly
understood. This article attempts to explore Turkey’s policy in LAC during the first decades of the 21st century,
placing it in the context of Turkey’s increasing desire for “strategic autonomy.” Methods. The author used a case
study approach to analyze Turkey’s policy in LAC. Results. After the Justice and Development Party came to power
in Turkey in 2002, Turkey began a systematic effort to develop relations with LAC, expanding political, economic,
and cultural ties with countries in the region. Since the July 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, Turkey’s foreign policy
has been increasingly guided by the desire for “strategic autonomy.” Growing mistrust and conflicts in Turkey’s
relations with the U.S. and the EU have increased Ankara’s interest in seeking alternative partnerships and building
situational alliances. Although Ankara’s growing ties with LAC countries (especially Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina)
increase the autonomy of its foreign policy, Turkey remains critically dependent on the West, both economically
and in terms of security.

Keywords: Турция, institutionalization, институционализация, Turkey, diplomatic relations, дипломатические отношения, Global South, strategic autonomy, стратегическая автономия, Эрдоган, Глобальный Юг, Latin America and the Caribbean, Erdoğan, Латинская Америка и Карибский бассейн