© Dogukan Keskinkilic / Anadolu
© Dogukan Keskinkilic / Anadolu
Institute:
Project members:
Galip Dalay, Senior Consulting Fellow, Turkey Initiative, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
Sanam Vakil, Director, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
Renad Mansour, Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme and Director of the Iraq Initiative, Chatham House
Project Duration: Oct 2024 – Sep 2025
Contact:
Galip Dalay, email: gdalay@chathamhouse.org
Reni Zhelyazkova, email: rzhelyazkova@chathamhouse.org
The 2016-2020/21 period in Turkey-Iran relations - which was marked by both sides' structured cooperation through the Astana Process and Sochi summits on conflict management in Syria, their largely shared opposition to US policy in Syria and at the broader regional level, to Iraqi Kurdistan's independence referendum, and to the blockade of Qatar - has run its course. However, the new shape of these bilateral relations remains undefined, and understanding them is essential to effective policymaking in the region. How they will evolve will have direct ramifications for Iraq, Syria, regional Kurdish geopolitics, and the process of regional reordering and connectivity in the Middle East and South Caucasus. They will also have direct implications for US and European policymaking and their role in the region.
This project studies the evolving nature of Turkey-Iran relations through Iraqi, Syrian and regional Kurdish politics. It examines how Turkey and Iran approach regional connectivity projects and major regional initiatives, and how on-going regional developments, including the war in Gaza, have impacted and may continue to impact Turkey-Iran relations and EU, US and UK security considerations and policy towards the two countries.