Abstract
Tunisia, which remained under French colonial rule for many years, gained its independence on March 20, 1956. However, the country struggled to attain prosperity due to economic, political and diplomatic problems. During this process, it sought Türkiye’s support while rebuilding its own foreign policy. Although Tunisia could not find the support it sought from Türkiye during this process, Tunisian administrators, aware of the reasons behind this, continued their efforts to maintain a positive course in their relations with Türkiye, particularly in the context of political and military conflicts after independence. Türkiye, on the other hand, has tried to understand whether Tunisia is following a policy close to the Eastern Bloc. Both Habib Bourguiba’s statements and reports sent by the Turkish Embassy in Tunisia to the Turkish Foreign Ministry indicated that Tunisia wouldn’t pursue such a policy. Consequently, Türkiye began to pay more attention to increasing the bilateral relations. This research examines how Tunisia-Türkiye relations were shaped after the establishment of diplomatic ties, Tunisia’s stance on key events such as the Cyprus issue and the Syrian Crisis, and political and economic relations between the two countries. The study is based on archival documents, periodical press sources, and, primarily, original and scholarly works.
Keywords: Tunus, Türkiye, Habib Burgiba, Bağımsızlık, Ziyaret
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