Turkey’s Geopolitical Role in Central Asia: Geopolitical Interests and Strategies for Enhancing Influence

Abstract

This study aimed to shed on Turkey's geopolitical role in Central Asia: geopolitical interests and Strategies for Enhancing Influence, by analyzing the transformations that have taken place in Turkish foreign policy toward the region since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the resulting restructuring of the geopolitical environment in the Eurasian space. The study is based on the hypothesis that the growing geopolitical and economic importance of Central Asia has encouraged Turkey to adopt a more active and multidimensional foreign policy, aimed at advancing its strategic interests and expanding its regional influence, while capitalizing on its historical, linguistic, and cultural ties with the Central Asian republics, as well as its strategic geographical position linking Asia and Europe.

The study focuses on analyzing the main determinants of Turkish interests in Central Asia, particularly the historical, cultural, and identity-related determinants, as well as geopolitical, economic, and energy-related factors. It also analyzes the strategies and instruments employed by Ankara to strengthen its presence and influence in the region. In this context, the Middle Corridor emerges as one of the most important instruments of Turkey’s geopolitical repositioning, as it provides opportunities to enhance trade and transportation connectivity between China, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Europe, diversify trade and transportation routes, and reduce relative dependence on routes passing through Russian or Iranian territory. The study also examines Turkey’s utilization of its geographical position within energy corridors, particularly oil and gas pipelines, with the aim of strengthening its role as a regional energy hub and maximizing the geopolitical value of its strategic location.

The study further examines Turkey’s soft-power instruments through cultural, educational, and institutional cooperation, particularly through the Organization of Turkic States, alongside the growing economic, investment, military, and defense cooperation with the Central Asian states. It demonstrates that Turkish policy has undergone a significant transformation from greater reliance on cultural and identity-based ties toward adopting a multidimensional approach that combines geopolitical instruments, economic power, soft power, and hard power, reflecting the expanding scope of Turkish foreign-policy instruments and the diversification of its engagement in the region.

The study concludes that Turkey seeks, through its growing engagement in Central Asia, to strengthen its position as an influential regional power in the Eurasian space and to transform its geographical position and historical and cultural ties into sources of power and influence. The study also demonstrates that the Middle Corridor, energy corridors, and economic, cultural, and military cooperation have become among the most important instruments employed by Ankara to enhance its geopolitical presence. However, Turkey’s ability to achieve sustainable influence remains dependent on its capacity to manage its relations with the major actors in the region, particularly Russia, China, Iran, and the United States, amid a regional and international environment characterized by shifting balances of power and intensifying competition over trade routes, energy, and spheres of influence. Accordingly, Turkey’s role in Central Asia does not primarily represent an attempt to completely replace the influence of other powers, but rather reflects an effort to establish a flexible and multidimensional sphere of influence that strengthens Turkey’s position as a regional power and a strategic bridge between East and West.