Changing approach to Turkish foreign policy: From the EU to the Middle East

Turkey is one of the developing and emerging countries that has been economically and politically successful among the countries of the region.The geographical location of this country in its proximity to Europe and the Middle East, has led to a mutual impact on both regions.Turkey's growth and development path has been such that it has sought to achieve European political, economic, behavioral and value standards, and has always applied to join the European Union over the years.Today, however,we see that Turkey has chosen a different path and, with less attention to European standards, is trying to present itself as an active player in the Middle East and North Africa. The present Study seeks the reason for this change in Turkey's approach between 2000 and 2020 and tests the hypothesis by descriptive-analytical method that the policy of Turkish leaders is based on the existence of great and influential powers in the European Union,Turkey could have been a second-rate player in Europe at best, but these capabilities of Turkey in the Middle East could make it one of the most important and influential players in the first level of the region, and therefore in a strategic choice,Turkey has chosen the second path.