Convergences and divergences between the European Union and Turkey on the international stage: A case study on sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Since the early years of the European integration, the African continent has always occupied an important place on the political agenda of the European Union. Following the end of the Cold War and especially in the early 2000s, the European Union-Africa relations, which were mostly based on the development cooperation, started to gain momentum. In a similar vein, Turkey, which is still in the waiting room of the European Union, has begun to diversify its relations with the different regions of the world in the recent years. It is also sub-Saharan Africa that largely attracts the interest of the Turkish political leaders. The objective of this study is to understand to what extent the policies and strategies of the European Union and Turkey with regard to sub-Saharan Africa are convergent. This research question offers an analysis regarding Turkey’s alignment with the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union within the framework of Chapter 31 of the acquis communautaire. Yet it essentially aims to determine the common points and the differences between the actions of these two important actors vis-à-vis sub-Saharan Africa. Based on this comparative approach that covers various areas such as development cooperation, commercial preferences, the role of democratic values and human rights, and finally the efforts aimed at the maintenance of regional peace and security, this study concludes that the policies of these two actors are to a large extent convergent.