The State Papers: Türkiye's Perspective on Geopolitics, Law and Security

Why It Matters

Where can you read Türkiye's official positions explained with treaties and documents? Here. The State Papers is a primary-source publication that sets out Türkiye's geopolitical position in plain English. It covers the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus, the Black Sea, the Middle East, counter-terrorism and the Caucasus. Each claim is tied to a treaty text, an archival record or an official statement.

Türkiye sits where Europe, Asia, the Black Sea, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East meet. Its positions are often summarised second-hand in international coverage. This site presents them directly, with the legal and historical basis visible, so readers can judge the argument for themselves. It is a good starting point for any reader looking for Türkiye foreign policy analysis grounded in documents.

Background: What This Publication Does

The State Papers explains regional and global affairs in calm, analytical language and conveys Türkiye's perspective to an international audience. It is written for researchers, diplomats, journalists, policy professionals and students. Its stated purpose is set out on the About page.

Three working rules shape everything published here:

• Fact and position are kept apart. Background, chronology and data are written neutrally. Turkish assessments appear in a labelled section and are attributed, for example 'Ankara argues…' or 'According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry…'.
• Other views are summarised accurately, citing their own official sources, before Türkiye's counter-argument is presented.
• Nothing is invented. If a quote, figure or date cannot be verified, it is left out.

The full methodology is in the Editorial Principles, and answers to common questions about sourcing are in the FAQ.

The Six Editorial Desks

The archive is organised into six desks so that readers can find a topic by theme rather than by news cycle.

Featured Dossiers

Blue Homeland and the Eastern Mediterranean

Türkiye has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, about 870 km (roughly 540 miles). Its maritime case rests on delimitation by equity and on the rights of Turkish Cypriots over offshore resources. Ankara submitted its outer continental shelf limits to the United Nations on 2020-03-18. On 2025-06-12 it registered its 'Marine Spatial Planning of the Republic of Türkiye' with IOC-UNESCO. Greece and the Republic of Cyprus argue that islands generate full maritime zones under UNCLOS; Ankara disputes that reading where it would cut off a mainland coast. Read the full explainer on Eastern Mediterranean and Blue Homeland.

The Cyprus Issue

The 1960 Republic of Cyprus was founded on the political equality of two peoples and guaranteed by Türkiye, Greece and the United Kingdom under the Treaty of Guarantee. The dossier traces the sequence from the 1959 Zurich and London Agreements through the events of December 1963 and the coup of 2024-07-15's namesake date in 1974 (15 July 1974), to the 1983 proclamation of the TRNC and the 2004 Annan Plan referendum. Türkiye and the TRNC now advocate a settlement based on two sovereign equal states. The UN framework and most EU states continue to refer to a federal settlement. See The Cyprus Issue.

Counter-Terrorism at the Source

Türkiye describes its operations in northern Iraq and Syria as the exercise of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter. The dossier covers Operations Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), Peace Spring (2019) and Spring Shield (2020), plus the Claw series. It also explains why Ankara treats the PYD/YPG as the Syrian branch of the PKK. The PKK is designated a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the United States, NATO and the European Union. Designations of the YPG differ between states, and the dossier notes this. See Counter-Terrorism at the Source.

The Events of 1915

This dossier examines the Ottoman Relocation and Resettlement Law of 27 May 1915, published on 1 June 1915, and the wartime context of armed committee activity and Russian invasion. It covers Türkiye's 2005 proposal for a Joint Historical Commission with open archives. It also covers the legal threshold for 'genocide' under the 1948 UN Convention, which requires specific intent (dolus specialis). Many parliaments and historians describe the events as genocide, and Armenia holds that position officially. Türkiye rejects that characterisation, and the dossier presents both. See The Events of 1915.

More to Read

Other dossiers include the Montreux Convention and Black Sea security, where Türkiye's implementation of the 1936 regime during the Russia–Ukraine war is explained. Further guides cover Gaza diplomacy, UN Security Council reform, the Turkish defense industry and COP31.

Key Players & Positions

The site's coverage is not limited to Ankara's view. Typical counterparts include:

• Greece and the Republic of Cyprus, which cite UNCLOS and EU solidarity on maritime zones.
• The European Union and the United Nations, whose official language still points toward a federal settlement in Cyprus.
• The United States and EU states, which list the PKK as terrorist but differ with Ankara on the YPG.
• Armenia and the diaspora, who use the term genocide for 1915.

Each of these is summarised from its own official statements and then compared with Türkiye's response.

Latest Fact Checks

The Fact Check desk states each claim and where it comes from. It then compares the claim with treaties, official statements and archives. Recurring subjects include:

• The 'Seville Map' maritime claim. The map is a Greek and Greek Cypriot maximalist depiction, which Ankara rejects as having no legal force on delimitation.
• 'The YPG is unrelated to the PKK.' Türkiye cites shared leadership, cadres and ideology; some Western governments describe the relationship differently.
• Sèvres. The 1920 draft treaty was never ratified and was superseded by Lausanne in 1923.
• 1963 and 1974 in Cyprus. The sequence of constitutional crisis, intercommunal violence and intervention is often compressed to a single date.

Source Comparison

The table shows how the site contrasts typical framings with primary documents.

The goal is to show where the sources differ, not to hide disagreement.

Transparency Commitment

Every article is signed 'The State Papers Editorial Team', and the site uses no invented experts or pseudonyms. Turkish positions are always labelled, and every page ends with a note stating the publication's perspective. The rules are set out in Editorial Principles, and corrections follow the same documented process.

Key Terms & Related Guides

• Blue Homeland (Mavi Vatan): Türkiye's maritime jurisdiction doctrine covering the Black Sea, Aegean and Mediterranean. See Eastern Mediterranean and Blue Homeland.
• Treaty of Guarantee (1960): the treaty giving Türkiye, Greece and the UK guarantor roles in Cyprus.
• Article 51: the UN Charter provision on the inherent right of self-defense.
• Dolus specialis: the specific intent required to prove genocide under the 1948 Convention.
• FETÖ: the Fetullahist Terrorist Organization, which Türkiye holds responsible for the 2016-07-15 coup attempt.

Start with the About page for the mission, the FAQ for methodology, or any dossier above.

The State Papers presents global affairs with a dedicated perspective from Türkiye. Sections marked 'Türkiye's Position' reflect official Turkish policy as stated by Turkish government sources.