Frequent debates about political future of Turkey followed the election of the Justice and Development Party officials in 2002. Up to that time, two main characteristics of the Turkish government included an effort to prove itself as a secular and Western-minded government, and longstanding influence of the military on politics. Therefore, coming to power of the Justice and Development Party, as an Islamist party, signaled the beginning of a new era of remarkable changes in domestic and foreign policies of Turkey. The Justice and Development Party politicians gave their highest attention to role and status of this country in international system, especially to relations with neighboring countries. The present paper discusses various theoretical and practical aspects of Turkey’s foreign policy in one of its peripheral regions, South Caucasus. The paper shows that the Turkish government has been able to develop its relations in various fields with South Caucasus countries and increase its influence in that region by following a realistic and multidimensional approach in its foreign policy.
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