TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN CONTEXT OF ALGERIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

Abstract

Algeria came under the domination of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, and as a result of Napoleon's invasion policies in North Africa, which started in 1830, the French dominated the region in 1847. The French established a colonial regime in Algeria, which would last about 130 years, treated the owners of Algerian lands as second-class people and exploited the country's wealth. In Algeria, national awakening began, especially after the First World War, and this awakening has turned into an independence movement after the Second World War. The movement achieved definite success in 1962 and Algeria gained its independence. The painful and bloody Algerian struggle for independence between 1954 and 1962 took place when Turkey joined NATO, struggled to join the Western bloc and felt the threat of communism. Founded after a war of independence, Turkey has long ignored Algeria's struggle for independence and has not offered clear support. Turkey begins to pursue a foreign policy that supports the independence of Algeria, a country whose people are Muslim, after the Algerian War of Independence gained momentum, and the United Nations and America expressed their support for the movement. Algeria expressed its resentment with Turkey after independence and the ice was only melted after the 1980s. This study aims to evaluate the Turkish stance on Algerian War of Independence and so far. This study also addresses the following primary research questions: Why was Turkey reluctant to support Algeria during their struggle against France on her independence? What made Turkey change her foreign policy towards Algeria? How was Algerians’ attitude towards changing Turkish foreign policy? To conclude, thriving Turkish-Algerian relations after half a century has been a part of good relations between Turkey and Algeria