Turkish perspective of the EU-Turkey relations since 2002

The main objective of this thesis is to examine Turkey’s perspective on its relations with the European Union, focusing on the Turkish government’s perception and presentation of these relations which has a long and complex history of ups and downs. The time frame starts from 2002 when the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power and has remained in power for over two decades. While the Party’s rule marked a significant turning point for the country, in its domestic structure, it also had an important impact on the relations with the EU. The start of accession negotiations in this period, go through positive developments, particularly in areas of common interest. However, the process also faced several challenges, such as the suspension of specific negotiation chapters, political disagreements, and hostile rhetoric from both sides. This paper provides an overview of the relations between the EU and Turkey, highlighting major events that occurred and impacted these relations over the past decades. Since the core focus is on the period of AK Party rule, Turkey’s political and economic situation and foreign policy are briefly overviewed. The discourse-historical analysis conducted in this paper explores how discourse practices have evolved, how identities have been constructed, and how the relationship on diplomatic and organizational levels as well as in the common areas of interests such as energy, migration, and counterterrorism.