Strategic Autonomy or Striving for Leadership? Recentering the Geopolitical Role of Türkiye in the Middle East

The FES Competence Center MENA Peace & Security co-organized a workshop with FES Türkiye to explore the Turkish geopolitical role in the MENA region, discussing which perspectives prevail both within Türkiye as well as in the Middle East and North Africa.

On November 14, 2025, FES invited regional experts to Beirut for a workshop focused on Türkiye’s current and long-term objectives in the MENA region. In his opening remarks, Marcus Schneider, director of the FES Competence Center MENA Peace & Security, outlined the growing role of Türkiye in the MENA region, influenced by the fall of the Assad-regime in Syria and renewed normalization processes with numerous actors in the region. 

The discussion highlighted how Türkiye has navigated a complex and everchanging policy environment over the last years. Since October 7th, its approach has focused on engaging regional actors while pursuing a pragmatic and functional strategy. Türkiye is actively aiming to become an indispensable regional player, based on thoughtful diplomacy, military capabilities and various soft-power components. 

However, Türkiye faces several obstacles to its foreign policy strategy: the rule of the current government in Damascus remains fragile, the Kurdish question unresolved, and Israeli activities in the region highly unpredictable. The ongoing normalization process with regional actors, as well as Türkiye adaptive strategy toward the volatile environment mirrors Ankara’s coping mechanism for a rapidly changing Middle East. 

The discussions offered valuable insights not only into Türkiye domestic and foreign policies, but also into the interplay of various actors seeking to shape the MENA region to their advantage. While all regional powers share an interest in stabilising the region and countering disruptive developments, it is decisive which direction Israel will take in the coming years.

Not only regional actors are interested in a stable Middle East, but Europe, too, is significantly affected by developments in the MENA region. European decision-makers should therefore increasingly see how to contribute to regional developments and how to engage with Türkiye, to stabilize the region sustainably.