The use of shared values as a foreign policy tool in the context of public diplomacy: The example of the Organization of Turkic States

As the global power struggle shifts to a soft power axis, nations' pursuit of foreign policy objectives has accelerated not only through official diplomatic channels but also through interpersonal interaction and cultural affinity. In this context, public diplomacy has become a strategic tool that enhances states' capacity to influence international public opinion. This thesis highlights the growing importance of public diplomacy in contemporary international relations and examines the use of shared cultural and historical values as a foreign policy tool through the example of the Organization of Turkic States. The shared historical heritage, linguistic, and cultural similarities of the Turkic world create an integrative foundation within the Organization of Turkic States, facilitating the institutionalization of public diplomacy. This study examines the institutional structure of the Organization of Turkic States, its discursive construction, and how shared values are positioned in relations between member states using content and discourse analysis. The analyses demonstrate that the Organization of Turkic States strategically utilizes public diplomacy practices in the context of building a shared identity and securing foreign policy legitimacy in line with its regional integration objectives. It also reveals how shared values have become institutionalized not only as symbolic but also as a functional and guiding foreign policy tool, and how this process has resonated within the Turkic world.