Is TIKA Turkey's platform for development cooperation or something more? : evidence from the Western Balkans

english

2019

volume 12, issue 1

Univerzitetni center za evro-sredozemske študije (Center EMUNI)
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

This paper explores the role of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in Turkey's foreign policy by looking how it can function as a foreign policy instrument. With the example of the Western Balkans, a strategic region in the contemporary Turkish foreign policy realm, we will show that Turkey's development cooperation is more than just sharing its own experience, knowledge and comparative advantages of being a recipient, but rather a foreign policy instrument to gain influence. The manifestation of Turkey's ODA can be observed through the activities of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (Türk Işbirligi ve Koordinasyon Idaresi Başkanl - TIKA), which was established in 1992 with the aim of pursuing the idea of assisting transition economies in Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Balkans. Focusing on the period when Turkey concentrated on the Western Balkans, and having in mind the perception of the latter as one of the biggest aid providers among the emerging economies, we will argue that TIKA, which has a monopoly over Turkey's ODA, is used as an important foreign policy instrument.

11.08.2021