Biateral social security agreements for sohrt term insurances in Turkish social security system

Countries, while setting up their social security systems and layingdown their policies on it, generally implement a structuring aimed at theircitizens residing in country. By time, based on economic, social or politicalreasons people migrated from their country to another, came across theproblem of loosing their social security rights acquired in their home country.On the other hand, even if those people are included by social securitysystem of foreign country, they became insured with some restrictions suchas nationality, residing in foreign country, working for a definite period of timeand not including their dependants. States attempted to resolve this problemrelated to changing residence by international arrangements and integration.In international arrangements, although there exist multilateral agreementssuch as ILO, UN, EU; it seems that also bilateral social security agreementshave an important place.From our country an important labour force migrated to WesternEurope in 1960?s, to Middle East and North Africa in 1970?s, to Russia andMiddle Asia countries in 1980?s in order to meet labour force need in theseregions. According to the latest data the number of Turkish citizens in foreigncountries is about 3.519.804.However Turkish citizens have several problems, social securityproblems have a priority. In our constitution taking this priority intoconsideration, the state has been charged for taking necessary measures toprovide social security of Turkish citizens working in foreign countries. Turkeysigned both bilateral and multilateral agreements in order to protect socialsecurity rights of Turkish citizens in foreign countries.Bilateral social security agreements are judicial texts signed on socialsecurity between two countries that aim at determining which legislation willbe applied to their citizens, providing equal treatment, consolidatinginsurance periods, protecting the rights of their citizens when they returned totheir home country. Turkey have signed bilateral social security agreementswith 25 country, 21 of which are still in force, but 4 of which that was not putinto force are not implemented. On the other hand, studies on signingbilateral agreements with 19 countries (Australia, Belarus, China, Croatia,Israel, Luxemburg, Egypt, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Russia, Belarus, Serbia-Montenegro, Slovakia, Ukraine, Mexico, Argentine, Tunisia, Italy, Bulgaria)are going on.With this thesis, related to bilateral social security agreementsacquired rights of Turkish citizens in foreign countries were examined,problems arising from structure and implementation were determined andproposals on solution of these problems were presented. Because eachagreement has its own special arrangements, our study has been assessedon the basis of each country.When the general context of agreements are examined, it is seen thatbilateral agreements are arranged mutually by countries under fundamentalprinciples such as equal treatment, protection of acquired rights,consolidation of periods, condition of residence, determination of legislation,coordination in acquiring social insurance rights .Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Social Security Institution,Social Insurance Organisation, Turkish Employment Organisation areauthorised to sign and implement the social security agreements. But inpractice, short term insurance benefits concern only Social InsuranceOrganisation.