Özet:

Vaccine nationalism is expressed as the process of some countries assuring the supply of vaccine primarily to protect their own citizens, detrimental to underdeveloped countries' access to vaccines. In addition to international aid programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are also aids made by countries within the framework of public diplomacy and soft power policies with their own efforts. Industrialized and developed countries that have access to COVID-19 vaccines have announced that they will donate vaccines to relatively least developed countries. Most of the developed countries use vaccines as a tool of diplomacy. This study focuses on whether Turkey uses COVID-19 vaccines as a foreign policy tool. The study focuses on evaluating whether Turkey was successful in vaccine diplomacy during the COVID-19 pandemic, using a comparative method. The study compares the vaccine aids of Turkey and developed and developing countries during the pandemic period. The statements of the World Health Organization and the official aid announcements of the countries are used in the article. After overcoming the shortage of access to vaccines experienced in the early stages of the pandemic, Turkey decided to send vaccines to the least developed and developing countries such as the TRNC, Libya, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vietnam after overcoming the problems in accessing to the vaccine. Turkey's vaccine donations were more limited compared to other healthcare equipment aids during the pandemic period.

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