Türkiye has taken radical steps throughout the year to mend ties with several regional actors, including Armenia, Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, as part of Ankara's normalization efforts in order to boost the country's position as a regional power and enhance cooperation on both bilateral and regional levels.
Following years of frozen ties, the neighboring countries of Türkiye and Armenia have announced they seek to normalize relations amid efforts for regional integration and cooperation in the South Caucasus. The first meeting for the normalization of relations between Türkiye and Armenia was held on Jan. 14 in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Türkiye's Special Representative to Armenia Ambassador Serdar Kılıç and Armenia's Special Representative Ruben Rubinyan attended the meeting.
The parties agreed to continue the negotiations with the goal of normalization in full swing without preconditions. The envoys from both countries held their second meeting in Vienna on Feb. 24 and "reiterated their agreement to continue the process without preconditions."
The Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which has become one of the most important summits in the world, witnessed another important meeting in addition to bringing top diplomats of Russia and Ukraine together. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who joined the forum on March 12. This meeting was recorded as the first meeting held at the level of foreign ministers between Türkiye and Armenia after nearly nine years.
Çavuşoğlu described the meeting with his Armenian counterpart Mirzoyan as "extremely fruitful and constructive." The Top Turkish diplomat stressed that Ankara is striving "for stability and peace in the South Caucasus and we receive support from all toward our efforts in this direction."
The Turkish top diplomat also noted that Azerbaijan supports the normalization process between Ankara and Yerevan. "Stability and peace in the region are for the benefit of all of us, and we will continue to take steps in this direction," he added, noting that he and Mirzoyan had reached an agreement to do so.
For his part, the Armenian minister said his country is determined to dedicate efforts for peace and stability in the region and that it is working to normalize relations with Türkiye.
Calling the move a "positive sign," Mirzoyan also thanked Çavuşoğlu for his invitation to the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. "In our meeting, we agreed to continue the normalization process toward the establishment of unconditional diplomatic relations and the opening of borders," he noted.
In early July, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Armenian prime minister spoke over the phone and discussed the normalization process between their countries.
"Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Nikol Pashinian emphasized the importance they attach to the bilateral normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia, which will also contribute to the strengthening of peace and stability in the region," according to a Turkish presidency statement.
The call came after Ankara and Yerevan made a breakthrough during talks in Vienna on July 1 where their diplomats agreed to open the countries' shared land border to third-country nationals and begin direct cargo flights.
Turkish, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders also met informally at the European summit in October, marking the first top-level talks between Türkiye and Armenia since they launched a bid to mend ties late last year after decades of animosity.
Holding a press conference during the first meeting of the European Political Community in Prague, Erdoğan said that the Türkiye-Armenia meetings continue through special representatives, adding that his meeting with Pashinian was in a "friendly atmosphere."
"I sincerely believe that we can achieve our goal of full normalization on the basis of good neighborly relations in our region," he said. Türkiye has no preconditions for full normalization, he underlined and said that Ankara expects Yerevan and Baku to resolve their problems and reach a peace agreement.
Türkiye and Armenia have also restarted commercial charter flights between Istanbul and Yerevan after two years as part of the normalization process.
Most recently, Çavuşoğlu in December called on Armenia to take confidence-building measures, as he noted that the special representatives from Türkiye and Armenia continue to hold normalization talks.
Despite being neighbors, Türkiye and Armenia have seen many difficulties in their diplomatic relations since the latter's declaration of independence in 1991. The two countries have long been divided by a range of issues, from Armenia’s refusal to recognize their shared border to its occupation of Karabakh and the 1915 events between the Ottoman Empire and Armenians. The two countries have had no diplomatic or commercial ties since the 1990s. The talks last month were the first attempt to restore links since a 2009 peace accord that was never ratified.
Bilateral relations, however, have taken a new shape and appear to be heading toward full normalization recently. Following the war over Karabakh in which Türkiye backed Azerbaijan against Armenia, Turkish-Armenian relations have entered a new phase. Türkiye is ready to take further steps in improving relations with Armenia and establishing a regional cooperation platform in the Caucasus as long as Yerevan is determined to continue the normalization process that started with the appointment of special envoys, said President Erdoğan.
Türkiye’s normalization with Armenia did not come as a surprise, as Ankara has actively been involved in intense diplomacy traffic, trying to mend ties with a number of other countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel and Egypt. More importantly, like Erdoğan recently said, there are no losers in peace and prolonged conflict is not in anybody’s interest.
Normalization with Israel
One of the prominent issues in Türkiye's foreign policy this year was the normalization of ties with Israel. On a historical visit, Israel's President Isaac Herzog arrived in Türkiye in March to meet his counterpart President Erdoğan on the first visit by an Israeli head of state since 2007.
"President Herzog's visit will be a turning point in Türkiye-Israel relations," Erdoğan said in a press conference following the meeting between the two leaders.
In May, the countries' top diplomats underlined their will to return to dialogue and cooperate in several fields during Çavuşoğlu's visit to Israel.
Türkiye and Israel have agreed to "reenergize" relations in several fields, Çavuşoğlu said at a press conference with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid during the first official visit by a Turkish foreign minister to Israel in 15 years.
Lapid, for his part, said that Türkiye and Israel are opening a new chapter in relations and aim to expand economic ties while beginning to work on a new civil aviation agreement.
One month after this visit, Lapid came to Ankara. At the joint press conference with Lapid, Çavuşoğlu announced that the two countries had initiated efforts to raise the level of diplomatic representation to the ambassador level.
In August, Türkiye and Israel announced a decision to mutually reappoint ambassadors and restore full diplomatic ties, marking a milestone in the two countries efforts to normalize ties.
Also, President Erdoğan and Israeli Prime Minister Lapid met in late September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly at the Turkish House (Türkevi) in New York in the first face-to-face talks since 2008.
In October, Israel approved the appointment of Irit Lillian as Israel's new ambassador to Türkiye. A few days later, Türkiye announced Şakir Özkan Torunlar as the new ambassador to Israel.
Israel sees Türkiye as a global actor with which it can develop relations in terms of economy, defense and ensuring the stability of the entire region, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in October when he visited Türkiye.
Gantz's visit to Türkiye is significant as it was the first by an Israeli defense minister in over a decade. His one-day trip to the powerful NATO member came two months after Israel and Türkiye renewed diplomatic ties. Gantz heralded a new era in his country's overt security ties with Türkiye after a decadelong rupture, marked by the whirlwind visit to Ankara.
Most recently, Erdoğan told Israel's designated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that it is important to maintain Türkiye-Israel relations on a basis of respect for mutual understanding and interests.
Ties between Türkiye and Israel froze over after the death of 10 civilians in an Israeli raid on a Turkish flotilla carrying aid for the Gaza Strip in 2010. The two countries once again expelled their ambassadors in 2018 after another bitter falling-out and relations since remained tense. In recent years, however, the two countries have been working on a rapprochement.
Despite the recent rapprochement, Turkish officials continue to criticize Israel’s policies targeting Palestinians, including the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Ankara has said it would not abandon its commitment to Palestine in order to broker closer ties with Israel. Known for its unbreakable solidarity with the Palestinians, Türkiye has been voicing support for the Palestinian cause in the international realm for decades. Turkish authorities emphasize that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East is through a fair and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue within the framework of international law and United Nations resolutions.
Ties with Egypt
Türkiye has been also making an effort to mend its frayed ties through intensified diplomacy with regional powers, including Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, after years of tensions. Erdoğan earlier reiterated that Türkiye hopes to maximize cooperation with Egypt and Gulf nations "on a win-win basis" in favor of mutual interests.
Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Egypt are maintained at the level of charges d'affaires on both sides since Egypt's 2013 military coup which overthrew the late President Mohammed Morsi.
On June 1, Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati visited Cairo to attend a meeting of the Islamic Development Bank. The trip marked Türkiye's first ministerial-level visit to Egypt in nine years. Although he was not on a mission to discuss bilateral relations, Nebati's presence had a symbolic meaning given the latest progress in Turkish-Egyptian ties.
During much of the last decade, bilateral ties between the two regional players have been complicated. However, recent critical regional and international developments compelled both sides to recalibrate their positions on contrasting issues, in an attempt to adapt to the new dynamics in the game. The rapprochement between Ankara and Cairo started at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. At the time, Egypt introduced major changes to its Libya policy amid Ankara's role as its neighbor and kept the door open with Türkiye for some kind of arrangement in the Eastern Mediterranean, implying that it respects the coordinates of the continental shelf as declared by Ankara.
Ankara reciprocated by endorsing Egypt's new position and stressing the importance of cooperation between the two countries, particularly in matters of mutual interest. Türkiye's senior diplomat and officials reiterated this message several times. Parallel with these developments, communication between the two countries intelligence channels paved the way for senior bureaucrats to sit together and discuss issues of bilateral and regional concern.
The official rapprochement between the two capitals kicked off in May 2021. Delegations led by deputy foreign ministers of the two countries conducted two rounds of exploratory talks last year: one in Cairo in May, and the other one in Ankara in September. In these meetings, officials addressed bilateral and regional issues and the need to achieve peace and security in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The normalization process between the two countries has been going forward slowly but steadily.
In July, Erdoğan gave a green light to high-level talks with Egypt. "Negotiations continue at the lower level. It's not out of the question to have these at a high level. As long as we understand each other," he said.
In late November, Erdoğan briefly met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on the sidelines of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar which attracted great attention since the relations have been tense since 2013.
"We said that a process can begin. A step has been taken here to start such a process and we had the talks. It is my hope that we want to move the process – that started with our ministers – to a good point later, hopefully to the high-level meetings," Erdoğan said. He added Türkiye expects Egypt to establish peace together against those who take a stand against them in the Mediterranean.
Detailing the two leaders' meeting in Qatar, Erdoğan later said: "Now let our lower-level ministers start the talks, and then let us expand and develop our talks, all we care about is to remove this resentment between you (Egypt) and Türkiye. There should not be such a problem between Türkiye and Egypt in the Mediterranean."
"Now that the process has begun, a process will continue with our ministers. And then to come together in the Mediterranean, because the connections between the Egyptian people and Türkiye are very different, we should not lose this power to others," he said.
Egypt, for its part, said that the two leaders agreed that their meeting in Doha will be the start to develop bilateral relations between Cairo and Ankara.
Most recently, Çavuşoğlu last month announced that his country may appoint an ambassador to Egypt in the coming months. Speaking to a group of reporters in Ankara, the top diplomat said: "Political consultations between deputy ministers could be rescheduled soon. An ambassador might be appointed in the coming months."
Commenting on the normalization with some Arab countries, Çavuşoğlu recently said that unlike the normalization process that is progressing rapidly with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the progress with Egypt is not going "as fast as we want."
Gulf countries
Meanwhile, Türkiye's normalization processes with two regional powers from the Gulf region went rapidly for the better.
Erdoğan's two-day visit to Abu Dhabi on Feb. 13 marked another substantial turning point in previously sour relations between Türkiye and the UAE, as both countries sought to end a feud that has for long defined the geopolitical arena of the Middle East and North Africa.
"During this visit, we aim to develop the momentum we have captured with the United Arab Emirates and to take the necessary steps for ties to go back to the level they deserve," Erdoğan told reporters at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport before he departed on his first visit to Abu Dhabi in nine years.
During the meeting, 13 agreements were signed, including ones on commerce, industry, health and medical sciences, land and sea transportation, and climate change.
"Our relations with the United Arab Emirates are in a very good position. It will be even better," Erdoğan said most recently, adding: "This is obviously disturbing some circles."
In late April, Erdoğan paid a two-day working visit to Saudi Arabia aimed at boosting bilateral ties.
During his visit, he met with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as well as the crown prince and discussed various international, regional and bilateral issues.
On his way back to Türkiye following his visit, Erdoğan said Ankara and Riyadh are determined to continue efforts for the common interests and stability of the region.
In June, Erdoğan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared their determination to launch a new era of cooperation in bilateral ties, including in the political, economic, military, security and cultural spheres.
Erdoğan welcomed bin Salman with an official ceremony in the capital Ankara. Ankara and Riyadh decided to deepen consultation and cooperation in regional issues to strengthen stability and peace. The two leaders vowed to develop and maintain cooperation on the basis of the "historical brotherhood" of the two nations for the future of the region.
While negotiating with Egypt, Israel and the UAE to normalize relations, Erdoğan described these efforts as a "new era" for a process of making friends and not enemies.
"Our relations with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Israel are developing on the basis of mutual interests, and a similar process is underway with Egypt," the president said in October.