The role of religion in Turkish foreign policy towards the Western Balkans

The main scientific goal of this proposed paper is to determine and analyse the functions attributed to religion by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the government of the Justice and Development Party (tur. Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi - AKP) in Turkish foreign policy strategy towards the Western Balkan countries (i.e. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia). Although secularism in Turkey is a constitutionally protected principle, a gradual return of Islam to the public sphere has been observed since the AKP took power in 2002. Against this background, religious references perform an essential role in a quite unparalleled doctrine of foreign policy that is being implemented by Turkish authorities in neighbouring regions (e.g. Balkan Peninsula). According to its assumptions, Turkey's principal mission is to renew the unity of the Muslim civilisation. Active and flexible diplomacy (both traditional and public), aimed at promoting a socio-political “Turkish model” founded on Islamic values, has been considered as a major tool for applying this vision world-wide. Therefore, the identity-forming function assigned to religion emerges as one of the most pivotal elements of the entire doctrine. Adopting a comprehensive approach and a wide research perspective, this proposed paper seeks to explore the formation of relations between Turkey and the Western Balkans in the 21st century. Admittedly, the AKP has strengthened Turkey's position as an important actor in the region, however despite improving its overall image along with enhancing economic and cultural ties with the Western Balkan states, Turkish authorities have still failed to gain any significant political influence. In this regard, this paper attempts to answer the research question of how publicly declared religious motivations for certain political activities affect the effective implementation of Turkish strategic interests in the Western Balkans. With the purpose of identifying the most relevant decisions and actions related to religious determinants of Turkey’s foreign policy in the region, a broad range of original Turkish sources (government documents, public reports) as well as literature on the subject (academic publications, policy briefs) have been studied. An in-depth survey of interviews and official speeches of Turkish policy-makers was also fundamental for this research. The image theory in international relations, which allows for examination of trends and directions in the state's foreign policy based on analysis of political perceptions, was selected as the theoretical foundation in this study. By employing qualitative research methods (e.g. content analysis, political discourse analysis, historical methods, process tracing method) this paper investigates the role of religion in the political strategy of President Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party. Accordingly, the research concludes with an assessment of Turkish achievements to date and aims to predict future dimensions of Turkey’s involvement in the Western Balkans.