The common foreign and security policy of the European Union and the Turkic Republics

Abstract

ABSTRACT EPC system, which was established aiming at the consultation and cooperation in the field of foreign affairs outside but parallel to the mechanism of the EC was the embryonic stage of European political integration and a common foreign and security policy. It was an intergovernmental approach lacking any supranational features. Its main characteristics and working methods were shaped and improved by a chain of reports in the course of time. At the begining of 1990s, under the pressure of drastic political developments in the continent of Europe, Member Stales made a fundamental attempt to transform the EPC system into a Common Foreign and Security Policy by the Maastricht Treaty intended to be safe from the shortcomings of EPC system. However, the Maastricht Treaty which was signed as a response to those new challenges faced by Europe is not satisfactory enough though some progress has been achieved in that field. In reality, today Europe is not in a position to cope successfully with international conflicts and crisis as shown in the Yugoslav crisis because of many shortcomings of its new CFSP system. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of new independent slates, six of which were Turkic Republics, made Europe reconsider its traditional attitude towards this region and show an increased attention to Ihc developments in that region in which mainly Turkic Republics are located, mainly due to the political, economical, and strategical importance of it. So, Member Stales began to try to establish and develop a CFSP to the Turkic Republics and the region in which ihcy arc located. However, there was no a particular and special CFSP of EU to them different from that towards CIS as a whole at least until end of 1995. Besides the ad hoc reactions to the internal and external crisis in many of the Turkic Republics, similar to those in the past, EU has begun internal attempts for the establishment of a more integrated and long-term CFSP including both diplomatic and economic instruments since the end of 1995. The main components of that CFSP arc economic cooperation and assistance, establishment of new contractual relation and political and diplomatic relations, which have already been used seperately under the Community competence by EU following the independence of those Republics.