World Bulletin / News Desk
Tense relations with some Balkan states, peace initiatives in Syria, an illegitimate independence referendum by northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and the fight against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) took center stage.
Bans by Germany and Holland that prevented Turkish ministers there from holding public rallies to garner support ahead of an April 16 referendum in which Turkey adopted a presidential form of government-stoked tensions between Ankara and the two nations.
Turkey’s relations with the U.S. also remained strained due to Washington's support of the PYD/PKK terrorist organization in Syria, its failure to extradite Fetullah Gulen and a visa crisis.
Gulen and his Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) orchestrated the July 15, 2016 coup attempt which martyred 250 and injured nearly 2,200.
Another flashpoint event this year was an illegitimate referendum by the KRG in September which was rejected by Turkey and most regional and international actors. De-escalation zones established with the efforts of Turkey, Russia and Syria were also among the year’s significant developments.
The following are prominent developments in Turkey’s foreign policy in 2017: