Abstract:
The European Union is perhaps the most important organization, where the idea “to be incorporated
with the West,” one of the most important basis of the Turkish political life and Turkish foreign policy,
has become tangible. The relations between Turkey and the European Union became official with the
Ankara Agreement signed in the year 1963 and which entered into effect on 1 December 1964 and has been
in the workings up to date. This article was prepared to remind us of the main highlights of the Ankara
Agreement on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary on entering into effect, and to also give a brief summary
of the relations, close to half a century, between Turkey and the European Union. This article reviews the
Turkey-EU relations chronologically, the ups and downs of the relations, the problems encountered and
explains the paths taken for the solution of the problems with historical examples. This article emphasizes
the structure of this agreement which progresses when the geo-strategic importance of Turkey increases
and which takes its shape according to conjunctural changes.
