Research Article

Determinants of Türkiye’s Relations with Africa: Insights from High-level Leader Visits

Volume: 1 Number: 1 November 27, 2024

Determinants of Türkiye’s Relations with Africa: Insights from High-level Leader Visits

Abstract

Since 1998, when Türkiye inaugurated its ‘Opening up to Africa Policy,’ there has been a concerted effort to cultivate political, economic, and cultural ties with African states. This growing engagement has prompted extensive scholarly inquiry into its underlying motivations and outcomes. Scholars utilized diverse analytical tools to propose and evaluate potential determinants. This paper posits that the frequency of high-level leadership visits serves as a barometer for the intensity of Türkiye’s bilateral relations and seeks to unravel the rationale behind the preferential focus on certain African countries. The study empirically tests the determinants identified in the existing literature by leveraging data on Türkiye’s high-level visits to the continent. The findings show that Turkish leaders’ visits to African countries are predominantly influenced by economic interests and historical ties, with a clear preference for nations offering larger markets and shared historical connections, while humanitarian considerations appear to play a minimal role.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

TÜBİTAK

Project Number

123K254

References

  1. Ali, A. (2011). Turkey’s foray into Africa: A new humanitarian power?. Insight Turkey, 13(4), 65-73.
  2. Aras, B. (2013). Turkey’s Africa Policy, The German Marshall Fund of the United States, October 7, 1-4.
  3. Aras, B., & Pinar, A. (2015). The role of humanitarian NGOs in Turkey’s peacebuilding. International Peacekeeping, 22(3), 230-247.
  4. Bailey, M. A., Anton S., & Erik V. (2017). Estimating Dynamic State Preferences from United Nations Voting Data. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 61(2), 430–56.
  5. Balcı, A. (2021). Türkiye Dış Politikası: İlkeler, Aktörler ve Uygulamalar. İstanbul: Alfa Yayınları.
  6. Balcı, A. (2024). Birleşmiş Milletler Güvenlik Konseyi: Eleştirel Bir Giriş, İstanbul: Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları.
  7. Balcı, A. (2024a). Determinants of Leader Visits: A Review and Future Directions in Scholarship. Turkish Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 11(1), 1-20.
  8. Balcı, A. (2024b). Where small powers travel? Understanding Jordan’s high-level diplomatic visit patterns. Political Studies Review, 14789299241279037.

Details

Primary Language

Turkish

Subjects

African Studies, International Relations (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

December 5, 2024

Publication Date

November 27, 2024

Submission Date

September 20, 2024

Acceptance Date

November 21, 2024

Published in Issue

Year 2024 Volume: 1 Number: 1

APA
Balcı, A. (2024). Determinants of Türkiye’s Relations with Africa: Insights from High-level Leader Visits. Turkish Journal of African Studies, 1(1), 64-90. https://izlik.org/JA86XE39SB
AMA
1.Balcı A. Determinants of Türkiye’s Relations with Africa: Insights from High-level Leader Visits. TUJAS. 2024;1(1):64-90. https://izlik.org/JA86XE39SB
Chicago
Balcı, Ali. 2024. “Determinants of Türkiye’s Relations With Africa: Insights from High-Level Leader Visits”. Turkish Journal of African Studies 1 (1): 64-90. https://izlik.org/JA86XE39SB.
EndNote
Balcı A (November 1, 2024) Determinants of Türkiye’s Relations with Africa: Insights from High-level Leader Visits. Turkish Journal of African Studies 1 1 64–90.
IEEE
[1]A. Balcı, “Determinants of Türkiye’s Relations with Africa: Insights from High-level Leader Visits”, TUJAS, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 64–90, Nov. 2024, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA86XE39SB
ISNAD
Balcı, Ali. “Determinants of Türkiye’s Relations With Africa: Insights from High-Level Leader Visits”. Turkish Journal of African Studies 1/1 (November 1, 2024): 64-90. https://izlik.org/JA86XE39SB.
JAMA
1.Balcı A. Determinants of Türkiye’s Relations with Africa: Insights from High-level Leader Visits. TUJAS. 2024;1:64–90.
MLA
Balcı, Ali. “Determinants of Türkiye’s Relations With Africa: Insights from High-Level Leader Visits”. Turkish Journal of African Studies, vol. 1, no. 1, Nov. 2024, pp. 64-90, https://izlik.org/JA86XE39SB.
Vancouver
1.Ali Balcı. Determinants of Türkiye’s Relations with Africa: Insights from High-level Leader Visits. TUJAS [Internet]. 2024 Nov. 1;1(1):64-90. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA86XE39SB