Evaluation of the effect of Turkish diaspora in Africa on Turkish national interest within the scope of Turkey-Africa relations

Diaspora has become a concept that has been gaining recognition in every field recently. Diaspora, a term with a long history in European and developed countries, has started to be discussed in Turkey since the end of the 2000s.This is also the case in Africa for Turkey, which realized its diaspora power too late. The old and new colonial powers in Africa have been directing their diaspora in line with their national interests for many years . Turkey, on the other hand, could not achieve the desired effect in Africa despite its many advantages. At this point, there are some deficiencies in Turkey's diaspora policies. These deficiencies have been tried to be eliminated with successful diplomacy activities in recent years. And with these activities, Africa has now become an integral part of Turkish foreign policy. In this context, the aim of this thesis is to analyze the effect of the Turkish diaspora in Africa on the Turkish national interest within the framework of Turkey-Africa relations according to the national interest argument of classical realism. At the same time, it is to examine how the Turkish diaspora in the continent has an effect on Turkey-Africa relations. In addition, this study examines whether Turkey's diaspora policies in Africa are in line with the Turkish national interest.It also makes suggestions for the revision and development of the diaspora policies implemented by Turkey in Africa. Interviews were conducted with experts on the subject. The problem has also been tried to be understood in terms of Turkish foreign policy. At the same time, this study argued that diasporas today are a means of legitimizing the power that states use to protect their interests. Keywords: Africa, Turkish Foreign Policy, National Interest, African Century, Diaspora Policy, Turkish Diaspora