Post-referendum Turkey has packed foreign policy agenda

TURKEY’S constitutional referendum to replace the country’s parliamentary system with a presidential model ended with a victory for the “yes” camp, opening a new era in the country’s political history. The referendum, held on Sunday, was a historic moment in Turkish history, but what follows it is even more significant, particularly in terms of foreign policy.

It is still unclear how the rhetoric adopted by Turkish officials during the referendum campaign will be reflected in the country’s foreign policy in the post-referendum era. However, it seems that Turkey will have a busy agenda in terms of its relations with the EU and the regional countries.

Another important issue in Turkish foreign policy is the relationship with the US administration. Erdogan and US President Donald Trump are expected to meet in May ahead of a meeting of the NATO alliance.

One of Erdogan’s recent statements is important in this regard. He said that the Barack Obama administration deceived Turkey over cooperation against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and called for stronger ties with Trump, who was the first Western leader to congratulate Erdogan after the referendum.

Yet it would be too optimistic to expect Washington and Ankara to solve their differences over the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria anytime soon; a magical formula that would satisfy both NATO allies is still not on the table. However, a future Erdogan-Trump meeting is crucial, as it would provide a chance for both sides to once more highlight their concerns with the current developments in the region and discuss areas of cooperation. Therefore, finding areas of common ground, despite all the obvious problems, will be in the best interest of both parties.