TURGUT ÖZAL’S ECONOMIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT ON THE COUNTRY’S FOREIGN POLICY (1983–1993)
Études balkaniques (Sofia) 2025, N 2, pp. 525 – 543
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62761/645.EB.LXI2.08
Petya PAVLOVA 
Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Bulgaria
Abstract: With his long-standing political career, the ambitious and pragmatic economist, Turgut Özal left a lasting imprint on the development of Turkey. He was a Prime Minister between 1983–1989 and a President between 1989–1993. He carried out successful economic reforms aimed at market liberalization and rapprochement with the European Economic Community. At the same time, however, during the governance of T. Özal, the Islam religion began to penetrate the Turkish state politics through the emerging industrial class coming from the Anatolian cities and investments from Saudi Arabia. This would predetermine the future economic and political development of the Republic of Turkey.
Keywords: Republic of Turkey, Turgut Özal, economic reforms, liberalization, Islamization