Turkey’s growing presence in Central Asia reflects a shift from cultural outreach to a more strategic, multi-layered engagement—but its long-term impact remains an open question. That was the assessment of Ayşe Yürekli, EU representative and senior adviser on European policy for the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey (KAGİDER) in Brussels, speaking on TVP World’s Eastern Express program. “Turkey has clearly moved from a rather cultural, historical engagement to a more strategic presence,” Yürekli said, describing Ankara’s role as that of a middle power combining public diplomacy, development cooperation, education, business ties and security engagement. “The real question is not whether Turkey is active—Turkey is active—but how coherent, how sustainable, and how politically impactful this activism really is,” she argued, pointing to coordination challenges and overlapping mandates within Turkey’s foreign policy machinery. Yürekli placed Turkey’s Central Asia strategy within a crowded geopolitical landscape shaped by Russia’s historical influence and China’s economic reach. At the same time, she noted growing interest from the European Union, particularly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Under the current circumstances, the best solution seems to be cooperation rather than competition in the nearby regions,” she said, arguing that EU-Turkey collaboration could deliver mutual benefits. On Ukraine, Yürekli said Ankara has pursued a careful balancing act—maintaining dialogue with Moscow while supporting Kyiv militarily and politically. “Turkey tries to keep this balance, but this is in favor of the EU and Ukraine,” she said. Ultimately, she added, Turkey’s influence in Central Asia will depend less on ambition and more on execution. Without a clearer narrative and stronger coordination, Ankara risks spreading itself too thin in an increasingly competitive geopolitical environment.
