Neighborly Strife: The Evolution of Turkey's Syria
Written by Gönenç Ünaldı, Guest Contributor | 11 January 2013
Turkey’s Syria policy is a controversial issue that has changed and evolved, according to the of-the-moment conditions of the region and influence of various actors inside and outside of the Middle East.
After the Justice and Development Party (AKP) won elections in 2002, government officials developed a “zero problem policy” with neighboring countries. This was a determining theory for Turkish foreign policy, and Turkey opened a positive dialogue with the Syrian government and President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey and Syria established a higher council for strategic cooperation and abolished visa formalities, while Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan supported Assad in international forums after the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Harriri in 2005. Besides this, Turkey had a major role during the negotiations over the Golan Heights between Syria and Israel in 2007 and 2008. These two countries even organized a joint military exercise in 2009, while Erdoğan and his family established personal and close relations with Assad’s family.
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