POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION OF TURKEY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE REFERENDUM ON 16 APRIL

Abstract

The article deals with the peculiarities of the transformation of Turkey in the sphere of internal and foreign policy in the light of the referendum held on April 16, 2017 on the issue of the extension of powers of the head of state. The preconditions and consequences of the transition of Turkey from a parliamentary political system to a presidential one are analyzed, as well as the problem of stability of the internal political situation in the republic in the conditions of the economic crisis, the unresolved Kurdish problem, the increase of terrorist threat. In the article the changes in the positioning of Turkey in the international arena appeared after the referendum, in particular in the relations with the European Union which Turkey has tried to join for a long time are revealed. Special attention is paid to the international and political activity of Turkey in the Middle East region and in the Syrian conflict zone where the military confrontation sparked the activation of radical Islamist movements and terrorist structures. The evolution of the Turkish approaches to the crisis in Syria is analyzed, the role of Turkey which with Russia and Iran has become a guarantor of peaceful settlement within the framework of Astana process is estimated. Based on the analysis of the peculiarities of the transformation of Turkey as a regional power a conclusion is made about the postreferendum continuity of the political course in the sphere of internal and foreign policy and that within the framework of the presidential political system developing in the republic one can expect greater dynamics in the adoption of economic, political and international solutions.

Keywords

• turkey
• referendum
• political transformation
• the european union
• the middle east
• the syrian conflict