The establishment of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Spain commenced in 1783. The Republic of Türkiye, as a successor state of the Ottoman Empire, elevated the status of diplomatic relations, which were initially established upon the foundation of a peace, friendship and trade agreement, to that of an Embassy in 1951. Türkiye and Spain are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), an international organization whose stated aim is to promote democracy, freedom, the rule of law, and the peaceful settlement of disputes among its members. The primary assertion of the NATO is the indivisibility of the security of its member states. Türkiye and Spain are therefore seen as countries that uphold state indivisibility and sovereignty. Türkiye has been a member of NATO since 1952, while Spain became a member of the organisation in 1982.

Furthermore, Türkiye applied for membership of the European Union (EU) on 14 April 1987, while Spain became a member in 1986. However, the commencement of negotiations was only initiated on 3 October 2005. Spain is among the countries that support Türkiye’s accession to the EU, on the grounds that relations between Brussels and Ankara are a key determinant of geopolitical stability in the region. Additionally, both Türkiye and Spain are members of the Council of Europe, an organization that employs a comprehensive structure to foster collaboration between member states at multiple levels and at various stages. These levels include, but are not limited to, norm-making, codification, and monitoring, as well as political cooperation on a vast array of issues, with the exception of matters pertaining to national defense. Besides that, through the United Nations (UN), Türkiye and Spain engage in collaborative efforts pertaining to a multitude of regional and global concerns. Initiated in 2005, the Alliance of Civilizations was a joint initiative of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the then Prime Minister of Türkiye, and the former Prime Minister of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The initiative was based on the recognition that a broad coalition defending mutual respect among different cultures could effectively address the growing trends of alienation and polarization.

Moreover, bilateral relations have been maintained at a high level through the organisation of nine intergovernmental summits between the two countries. In this context, the inaugural summit was convened in 2009, while the most recent summit took place in Madrid on 13 June 2024.

The inaugural issue of Almanac Diplomatique is dedicated to providing a forum for discourse with the objective of elucidating and comprehending the intricacies of diplomatic relations, historical ties, current strategic cooperation, potential areas of cooperation within international and supranational organisations (NATO, UN and EU), and the multifaceted ties between Türkiye and Spain, encompassing public diplomacy, economic, political, social and cultural aspects. The objective of this issue is to elucidate the manner in which the historical and contemporary ties between the two countries are reflected in the contemporary diplomatic landscape and to ascertain the impact they exert on the current international relations system. Furthermore, it seeks to stimulate the development of new avenues of research.

The Almanac Diplomatique extends a cordial invitation to all those who wish to contribute to this significant topic. Those wishing to contribute articles to this issue are kindly requested to upload their publications on the website http://almanacdiplomatique.com or send them to editor@almanacdiplomatique.com by 15 November 2024.