TURKEY’S NEO-OTTOMANIST GEOPOLITICS IN THE BALKANS: KOSOVO AND METOHIJA AS A SPACE OF STRATEGIC, IDENTITY AND POLITICAL INFLUENCE

Abstract

The paper analyzes the geopolitical, identity and security dimensions of Turkish policy in the Balkans, with a special focus on Kosovo and Metohija as a space of overlapping current regional and global geopolitical interests. The starting point of the paper is neo-Ottomanism as a broader foreign policy framework in which Turkey seeks to renew and institutionalize its influence in the areas of the former Ottoman Empire. In this context, the Balkans have a special place, as it represents both a historically sensitive area of Turkish presence and a contemporary zone of intersection of the interests of the USA, the EU, Russia, China, and regional actors. Special attention is paid to the role of Turkey in supporting the so-called “Kosovo”, the political and military cooperation between Ankara and Pristina, the strengthening of the capacity of the so-called “Kosovo Security Forces”, as well as the implications of such actions for the security of the Republic of Serbia and the stability of the region.