Turkey's new foreign policy towards the middle east and the perceptions in Syria and Lebanon

Abstract

The issues in the Middle East directly affect Turkey's interests from security to economy. However, during the Cold War, Turkey did not involve directly and influentially to the Middle Eastern affairs. The political atmosphere arose after the Cold War, especially in the beginning 2000s, gave some opportunity and/or encouraged Turkish decision makers to pursue a new policy. Turkey as it develops and continues its relations with the West and the rest of the World, tried to set a new model of relations depend on mutual respect, recognition of territorial integrity and constructing trust building relations with the regional countries in every level. This article focuses on Turkish new foreign policy toward the Middle East and reflects the perceptions in Syria and Lebanon. From these perceptions, the article claims that Turkish new diplomatic initiatives would likely to continue and will be appreciated by all sides as long as the search for stability in the region prevails.