University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2008 Turkey In The Caspian Sea Region Seyma Akkoyunlu University of Central Florida Part of the Political Science Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Akkoyunlu, Seyma, "Turkey In The Caspian Sea Region" (2008). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 3734. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/3734 TURKEY IN THE CASPIAN SEA REGION by SEYMA AKKOYUNLU B.S. Istanbul University, 2005 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of the Masters of Arts in the Department of Political Science in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, FL Spring Term 2008 Major Professor: Houman Sadri ©2008 Seyma Akkoyunlu ii ABSTRACT This thesis will determine the influence of Turkey’s domestic resources on Turkey’s foreign relations with the five Turkic states in the Caspian Sea Region. The spheres analyzed in this study are the common ties, which are history, culture, religion and language, with the regional countries, pan-Turkism, Turkey’s initial interactions as well as ongoing constructive policies in the region. Findings showed that both Turkey and the five Turkic republics were enthusiastic to carry their relations in every field to future cooperation following the break up of the Soviet Union. However the Turkic Republics’ interest in Turkish development model gradually declined starting from the 1994s.The hypothesis that socio-cultural ties will ease establishing close foreign relations is applicable to all five republics. The Turkic states welcomed Turkey’s educational and cultural policies with great willingness. In the field of business we find that Turkish economy follows a similar pattern in its relations with the Azerbaijani and Central Asian markets. Accordant policy goals of Turkey and the five republics led Turkey to establish close foreign relations with the regional countries. Turkey tried to give military aid to the Turkic republics of Central Asia in their struggle against terrorist groups which have the capacity to destabilize governments and to threaten international security. The hypothesis that the more Turkey has business interests in the Caspian Sea Region the more Turkey will have closer foreign relations with Turkic countries is mostly apparent in the case of Azerbaijan. In the area of energy politics Turkey has its strongest link with Azerbaijan. Besides being strong economic partners Turkey is Azerbaijan’s biggest supporter in the region against Armenia. iii To my uncle, Akif Babali (1961-2006) iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the guidance of my advisor and committee chair, Dr. Houman Sadri under whose supervision I chose this topic and began the thesis. I also thank the members of my graduate committee, Dr. Trudi Morales and Dr Barbara Kinsey for their suggestions. Lastly, and most importantly, I would like to thank my parents for their constant encouragement and support. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... xi LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................ xii LIST OF ACRONYMS/ABBREVATIONS ...................................................................xiii CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW AND LITERATURE REVIEW............................................ 1 1.1 Defining Concepts and Theory................................................................................. 1 1.2 Literature Review ..................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 2: TURKEY’S HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL TIES WITH THE TURKIC COUNTRIES .................................................................................................... 16 2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................. 16 2.2 Turkic People of the World and Pan-Turkism........................................................ 16 2.2.1 Turkic People of the World.............................................................................. 16 2.2.2 Kemalist Ideology: Nationalism in the Turkish Republic ............................... 18 2.2.3 Pan-Turkism: The Union of all the Turks........................................................ 21 2.2.4 Leading Ideologists of Pan-Turkism................................................................ 22 2.2.4.1 Ismail Gaspirali......................................................................................... 22 2.2.4.2 Yusuf Akcura............................................................................................ 26 2.2.5 World War I and Pan-Turkism ........................................................................ 27 2.2.6 World War II and After.................................................................................... 31 2.2.7 Reactions on Pan-Turkism............................................................................... 33 2.3 Language................................................................................................................. 35 2.3.1 Dialectic Similarities between the Turkish Language and the Languages of Central Asian Countries............................................................................................ 37 vi 2.3.1.1 Azeris ........................................................................................................ 37 2.3.1.2 Kazakhs..................................................................................................... 37 2.3.1.3 Uzbeks....................................................................................................... 38 2.3.1.4 Turkmens .................................................................................................. 39 2.3.1.5 Kirghizs..................................................................................................... 40 2.4 Islam as a Shared Identity between Turkey and the Turkic World ........................ 40 2.5 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 47 CHAPTER 3: ECONOMIC RELATIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND THE REGIONAL COUNTRIES............................................................................................... 49 3.1 Introduction............................................................................................................. 49 3.2 Basic Drawbacks and Motivations to Invest in the Caspian Sea Region ............... 50 3.3 Bilateral Economic Relations between Turkey and the Regional Countries.......... 54 3.3.1 Turkey-Azerbaijan ........................................................................................... 54 3.3.1.1 Turkey’s Oil Demand ............................................................................... 54 3.3.1.2 The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Project ............................................... 57 3.3.1.3 The South Caucasus Gas Pipeline Project ................................................ 60 3.3.1.4 Trade with Azerbaijan............................................................................... 62 3.3.1.5 Eximbank Credits from Turkey ................................................................ 64 3.3.2 Turkey-Kazakhstan .......................................................................................... 66 3.3.2.1 Turkish Investment in Kazakhstan............................................................ 66 3.3.2.2 Trade with Kazakhstan ............................................................................. 69 3.3.2.3 Eximbank Credits...................................................................................... 71 3.3.3 Turkey-Kyrgyzstan .......................................................................................... 72 vii 3.3.3.1 Turkish Investment in Kyrgyzstan............................................................ 72 3.3.3.2 Advantages and Disadvantages of Investing in Kyrgyzstan..................... 75 3.3.3.3 Trade with Kyrgyzstan.............................................................................. 78 3.3.3.4 Eximbank Credits...................................................................................... 80 3.3.4 Turkey-Turkmenistan ...................................................................................... 80 3.3.4.1 Turkey’s Need for Natural Gas................................................................. 80 3.3.4.2 Turkmen-Turkey-Europe Gas Pipeline..................................................... 83 3.3.4.3 Trade with Turkmenistan.......................................................................... 85 3.3.4.4 Problems that Businesspersons Face In Turkmenistan............................. 87 3.3.4.5 Eximbank Credits...................................................................................... 88 3.3.5 Turkey-Uzbekistan........................................................................................... 89 3.3.5.1 Turkish Investment in Uzbekistan ...........................................................