Abstract:

Turkish-Iranian relations are in general regarded stable in the literature, and the causes of stability in bilateral relations are inadequately explained often by overemphasising the geopolitics of bilateral relations. Nonetheless, the geoeconomics of Turkish-Iranian relations is as significant as the geopolitics of the relations for both the current state of affairs in bilateral relations and their future. This article approaches Turkish-Iranian relations after 2002, when Justice and Development Party came to power in Turkey, from a different angle. Mainly from the geoeconomics perspective, it explores the implications of the energy relations for, in particular, bilateral economic relations between Turkey and Iran, and, in general, bilateral relations between the two states. It identifies three asymmetries in the relations as the primacy of geopolitics in bilateral relations, the primacy of energy in bilateral economic relations and the primacy of natural gas in bilateral energy relations. By moving from these asymmetries, the article concludes that energy relations may serve as a favourable starting point to broaden the scope of cooperation in Turkish-Iranian relations to include political issues of mutual concern

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