NATO's Enlargement Policy and Turkiye's Position: A Key NATO Ally

NATO's enlargement policy indicates the admission of new members with full membership status within the framework of mutual mandates and responsibilities and the expansion of NATO's borders and geographical areas of responsibility. The accession of fifteen members to the Alliance in the post-Gold War period has brought along some controversies. Turkiye supports NATO enlargement in principle. This study discusses Ankara's stance and cautious attitude towards Finland and Sweden's applications for NATO membership by evaluating how NATO's post-Gold War enlargement policy has affected Turkiye's position within NATO. The main claim of the study is that NATO's decision-making procedure has had a positive impact on Turkiye's relations with candidate countries.