Turkish Issue in the Foreign Policy Discourse of Modern Russia (2013-2023)

Thesis topic: "The Turkish question in the foreign policy discourse of modern Russia (2013-2023)" Summary: This work is devoted to the study of the Turkish issue in the foreign policy discourse of modern Russia in the period from 2013 to 2023 and to determining how Russia can use Russian-Turkish relations to implement its foreign policy strategies and achieve goals. By the term "Turkish question" the author means how Russia perceives Turkey and determines its position in its "coordinate system" and where it refers to — "its own" or "others". The relevance of the work is justified by the fact that at the moment there is a transformation of the world order system affecting all levels of interaction. Against the background of transformational processes, Russian foreign policy is undergoing changes: perceptions are changing, priorities are changing – a course is being set towards a more independent policy as a world power country. This is more clearly seen in cooperation at the interstate level, for example with Turkey, which has strengthened its position as a major regional player. It is important to note that transformational processes are also changing relations between countries, so the question of who Russia considers Turkey to be remains relevant today. The object of the study: Russian foreign policy. The subject of the study is the position of Turkey in the Russian foreign policy discourse. The purpose of the dissertation is to assess the perception and determine the position of Turkey in the Russian foreign policy discourse, taking into account the events taking place during the period under study. To achieve the purpose of the study, the following tasks were formulated: 1. To analyze how the change in the agenda has affected the perception of the Russian Federation of itself and others, as well as reflected in its foreign policy discourse; 2. To analyze the evolution of Russia's foreign policy discourse up to 2013; 3. To analyze the evolution of Russia's foreign policy discourse in the period 2013-2023; 4. Analyze the interaction between Russia and Turkey; 5. Identify points of contact, areas of interaction and possible risks; 6. Based on the interaction of the countries, identify the factors of changes in Russia's attitude and assessment of Turkey. The scientific novelty of the work consists in the fact that the author makes an attempt to consider Russian-Turkish relations and the situation of Turkey from the perspective of Russian foreign policy. The scientific work uses the methods of discourse analysis and foreign policy analysis. The dissertation work contains three chapters. The first chapter is devoted to theoretical issues relevant to the research, and their choice regarding the chosen research topic is justified. The second chapter is devoted to the study of the evolution of Russian foreign policy discourse. It reveals the events that preceded and occurred during the period under review, analyzes the changes that could affect the Russian foreign policy course. The third chapter is devoted to the analysis of the practice of Russian-Turkish relations. The relationship between practical implementation and discourse is investigated. This chapter identifies areas of common ground, as well as risks that can affect not only relations, but also the foreign policy discourse itself. Based on the results of the study, conclusions are formulated regarding the Turkish issue in the foreign policy discourse of modern Russia in the period under review.