Abstract:

The Western concept, which is much more than a geographical meaning for Turkey, has been the target of the modernization process that has been wanted to be achieved in the last two centuries. The process that the Ottoman State began to fix the losses it experienced, has finally become an instrument used to prevent the state's cleansing. The security provided by the establishment of the Republic of Turkey has made it a new and most important goal, not to eliminate the reason for Westernization. While Turkey was a member of NATO during the Cold War, it also provided the status of the West in the modernization marathon, which has been held for a long period, in addition to the elimination of security needs against the Soviet Union. In this context, the study discusses the relations between Turkey and NATO within a 70-year perspective and shows the transformation of Turkey’s relations with the West, in the debates that are ongoing. When the 70th anniversary of Turkey’s NATO membership was assessed, Turkey, along with NATO membership, did not have all of what they wanted, in addition, the NATO member countries have experienced serious opinions, differences of opinions and still live. Despite all these differences and disadvantages, Turkey has been supporting NATO policies as a coherent NATO member for 70 years. In this framework, the study tries to address the NATO issue in various dimensions from the past to the present in the framework of Turkey’s membership and foreign policy. The study was evaluated according to archive documents and other sources obtained by the documentary source scan method.

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