THE UNEASY RELATIONSHIP : TURKEY' S FOREİGN POLİCY TOWARDS THE SOVİET UNION AT THE OUTBREAK OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

Af ter the Lausanne Peace Treaty of 24 July 1923, Turkey followed a policy aiming consciously at pea ce and co-operation with all nations. The whole purpose of the country presupposed a long period of tranquillity. without which its far-reaching plans for development and reform would have been meaningless. it was natural that at this period Republican Turkeyand Soviet Russia should be attracted towards each other. Each was striving for freedom from foreign shackles, and each was faced with formidable programmes of internal transformation. it was one of the major tenets of Soviet foreign policy at the time to cultivate Turkey's good will and understanding, in order to show the exploited nations of Asia that Moscow was their onlyand tme friend. Furthermore, Turkish friendship carried with it promise of an advantageous accommodation in the Straits, in ca<;eof war with the West a consideration which no Russian govemment could disregard. i