Mesut OzcanAbstract: After weeks and months of Turkish diplomatic effort aimed at normalizing relations with both Israel and Russia, news of accords with both appeared in the same week, just one month after the formation of a new government in Turkey. Both domestic and regional factors are crucial to the rapprochement between Turkey and these two neighbors. Domestic factors might be a catalyst for improvements in relations, but regional factors have played an important role in developing the relationships in the context of Turkish foreign policy. Among the major factors that have played a role in mending Turkish ties with Israel and Russia are continuing security challenges in the Middle East, the ramifications of these challenges for the Turkish fight against terrorism, differences of opinion between Turkish policymakers and their Western counterparts, and the negative economic implications of problematic relations with Russia.
The news that Turkey was mending its diplomatic with Israel and Russia was announced in the same week at the end of June 2016.[1] Around the same time, there was also talk of normalizing relations with Egypt and others. While these issues were still being discussed, Turkey experienced a coup attempt which dramatically affected both its domestic and foreign policy contexts. Alongside the headlines and arguments filling the newspapers about “decreasing the number of enemies and increasing the number of friends”, there were lots of questions as to what was happening in Turkish foreign policy. What were the reasons for these rapid realignments? Did they relate to the change of government in Turkey? Were they some result of changing regional dynamics, or did they come about because of domestic political and economic considerations? Although domestic variables played an important role in the revision of some foreign policy priorities, it is mainly regional factors that led decision makers to adjust their stances on most issues.