The Impact of The Breakup of Yugoslavia on the Formation of the Balkan Direction of Turkey’s Foreign Policy (1991–1998)

The article examines the evolution of Turkey’s foreign policy strategy towards the countries of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, the period of the collapse of the SFRY and the intensification of ethno-religious conflicts in the Balkans. The aim of the study is to identify the factors that determined the transformation of Turkish foreign policy from cautious neutrality to active involvement in regional processes. In this work, special attention is paid to the role of religious, ethnic and cultural identity in shaping Ankara’s Balkan vector. This article uses the historical and comparative method, the study of primary sources, as well as the involvement of works by leading Turkish and foreign researchers. Special attention is paid to the interpretation of ideological shifts – from Kemalist civic nationalism to the Ozalist concept combining Turkish identity with the Islamic heritage of the Ottoman Empire. One of the promising areas of this research is a comparative analysis of Turkey’s position in relation to the aspirations of Bosnian Muslims and Kosovo Albanians to establish a national state. The author believes that such an implementation of multi-vector and targeted approaches to conflict resolution in the Western Balkans significantly influenced the subsequent strategy of building relations between Turkey and the countries of the former Yugoslavia, as well as laid the foundation for the development of new projects within the framework of the toolkit of “soft” and “smart” power. The results of the study demonstrate that Turkey’s foreign policy in the 1990s was contradictory and determined by a balance between the desire for regional leadership, internal political risks and pressure from international actors, primarily the United States and NATO. Ankara has developed a flexible foreign policy course that is in line with the constantly changing situation in the region. This approach underwent changes after the Justice and Development Party came to power in November 2002, but at the same time it remained relevant and formed the basis of Ankara’s modern foreign policy in the Balkans.