ИСТИНА

Turkey is a relative newcomer to the Asia-Pacific region. Nonetheless, it has succeeded in rapidly expanding its regional footprint in a remarkably short period of time. The Asia-Pacific region has typically been a low priority for Turkish foreign policymakers and only gained wider attention with the coming to power of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in November 2002. The ascent of the AKP marked a significant shift in Turkey’s perspective of the world, allowing it to cast its foreign policy net into much wider waters to hitherto neglected regions such as Africa, Latin America and the Asia Pacific. Reaching out to the Asia-Pacific region, the fastest growing economic arena in the world, for trade and investment opportunities, has become an absolute necessity for Turkey’s economic future.