Turkey’s diplomatic mediation as means of positioning in new international circumstances

Abstract

The ongoing crisis of the international order has opened up a series of serious questions about its far-reaching consequences, development perspectives, and possibilities of overcoming, as well as the trend of (re)positioning regional actors. Amid the Ukrainian conflict, special attention was drawn to Turkey?s attempts of diplomatic mediation. To better understand the strategic direction and current position of Turkey, the main intention of this article is aimed at clarifying the features, dimensions, and function of diplomatic mediation within its foreign policy. The first part of the article discusses the broader theoretical framework which analyses the features, dimensions, phases, and preconditions of diplomatic mediation. Thereafter, a concise presentation of the basic features of the complex state-national orientation of mediation is presented. Based on the initiated and accomplished mediation processes observed over a long period of time, in a wide area from the Balkans, the Middle East, to the Caucasus and Central Asia, the central part of the article discusses the essential characteristics, motives, goals, and function of diplomatic mediation within the framework of Turkey?s foreign policy. Based on the above, it can be concluded that diplomatic mediation is an important tactical and foreign policy tool for positioning Turkey in contemporary and emerging international circumstances.