NATO’s Enlargement Policy and Türkiye’s Position: A Key NATO Ally

Abstract

NATO’s enlargement policy indicates the admission of new members with full membership status within the framework of mutual mandates and responsibilities and the expansion of NATO’s borders and geographical areas of responsibility. The accession of fifteen members to the Alliance in the post-Cold War period has brought along some controversies. Türkiye supports NATO enlargement in principle. This study discusses Ankara’s stance and cautious attitude towards Finland and Sweden’s applications for NATO membership by evaluating how NATO’s post-Cold War enlargement policy has affected Türkiye’s position within NATO. The main claim of the study is that NATO’s decision-making procedure has had a positive impact on Türkiye’s relations with candidate countries.