Turkish perspective on the relations with the European Union after 2002

This master thesis aims to give an overview of the internal factors that affect the relations between EU and Turkey after 2002 from Turkey’s perspective. The paper focuses on how domestic conditions are shaping the Turkish foreign policy towards the EU after JDP came into power in 2002. To investigate the relationship between Turkey and the EU, this paper utilizes many different policy papers and the country reports of EU and Turkey. All in all, this study finds out that the EU’s conditions and Turkey’s own domestic limitations matter significantly in shaping Turkey’s relations with the EU, impacting its foreign policy choices towards the EU. After 2013, the external and domestic conditions have no longer been conducive for Turkey’s accession to the EU.