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La relación entre México y Turquía ha sido escasamente analizada en cuanto a los estudios de política exterior e historia mexicana, de la cual se han rescatado únicamente algunos episodios muy puntuales. La distancia entre México y Turquía, acentuada por el Océano Atlántico y las diferencias en cuanto a sucesos históricos y sociales, hace pensar que los acercamientos son recientes o, por lo menos, que se despliegan a partir del establecimiento formal de las relaciones diplomáticas en 1928; no obstante, existieron contactos previos tanto de corte oficial como no oficial, que datan de la época colonial e imperial respectivamente. Para lograr un análisis histórico y holístico de esta relación bilateral, se hace un mapeo de los hitos más importantes, reconstruyendo un relato que considere variables tales como el rol de las principales potencias y sus consecuentes dinámicas, así como la influencia de determinadas élites y los procesos diplomáticos que paulatinamente han asentado los contactos entre ambas partes durante el siglo XX. Siguiendo la clasificación cronológica, se considera tanto la agencia de cada estado como el peso de la estructura global en sus políticas exteriores, particularmente debido a la fuerza gravitacional de Occidente para ambos durante la Guerra Fría y una mayor liberación de sus márgenes de maniobra hacia el final de este episodio. Asimismo, se describe la proliferación de encuentros dentro de distintos foros, el interés basado en los intercambios culturales y el potencial de oportunidades que ofrece el escenario global del siglo XXI. Finalmente, se introduce una revisión crítica que cuestiona la selección de declaraciones de respaldo de un gobierno hacia otro, omitiendo posturas respecto a poblaciones marginadas de ambas latitudes. Con todo ello, este artículo expone una historia diplomática que incluye múltiples factores y que, a su vez, aboga por mayores estudios, sobre todo a partir de la reciente rapidez en el desarrollo de las relaciones y en un momento clave que culminará en 2028 con la conmemoración del centenario de esta relación.
Mexico and Turkey have a not so long official diplomatic relation, as the establishment of this traces back to 1928 after a Friendship Agreement that was signed in 1927. In those first years of the 20th century the new Republic of Turkey had just ended 600 years of imperial order and was taking her first steps into becoming a democratic and westernised country, whereas Mexico was restructuring himself from the turbulent years of the Mexican Revolution. The relationship between these two countries is not commonly taught nor well documented, and it is even rarer to think about encounters before the year of 1928; nevertheless, Mexico and Turkey share various encounters -official and non-official- years before the establishment of official diplomatic relations. It is possible to trace these concurrences back to when Mexico was the so-called New Spain and Turkey was the centre of one of the most important empires to ever exist: the Ottoman Empire. Nonetheless, there were not as many encounters as there were between Mexico and other countries due to the geographical distance accentuated by the Atlantic Ocean and a whole continent in between; moreover, the societal, cultural, and historic circumstances were substantially different.During the years that Sultan Bayezid II (1481-1512), Sultan Selim I (1512-1520) and Sultan Suleiman (1520-1566) were on the throne, it was basically unimaginable to cross the Atlantic Ocean and arrive at the Americas. The geopolitical situation would not have allowed it, as many territories needed a strong presence of the Ottoman authorities as they were sources of instability; such were the cases of Eastern Europe, the southern borders of the now Republic of Turkey and the Persian lands. This, however, does not mean that the Ottoman Empire did not know about the existence of the New Spain, as a matter of fact, in the year 1513 a map made by Piri Reis was shown to Sultan Selim I; this map showed some points from the Americas to the Atlantic Ocean, nonetheless, the reasons why the Ottomans did not cross the ocean are still unclear. Later, some hypotheses and assumptions will be further discussed.Years later with the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 between the Holy League (Spain being a participant) and the Ottoman Empire the hegemony of Christianity was reaffirmed in the Mediterranean territory, of course this was a great source of pride for the Spanish Empire, resulting in King Philip II sending letters to archbishops, bishops, and religious orders of the Viceroyalty of the New Spain to celebrate the victory of Catholicism over Islam and to indeed prove that the Spanish Monarchy was the chosen one by God. There is no doubt that both sides knew about the other, but making further contact or establishing a true diplomatic relationship was an almost impossible task. The New Spain was a colony that could not take steps into developing his own international relations nor create a Ministry of Foreign Affairs; after independence, the democratic values and institutions were not solid and the years that followed were turbulent and full of uncertainties. The country oscillated between being a representative republic, having a monarchical order and even an imperial order with the first and second Mexican Empire. Moreover, Mexico suffered different invasions, hence, it was extremely difficult to establish diplomatic relations with any country, let alone with the Ottoman Empire.On the other hand, the Ottoman Empire was living his first centuries as one of the most powerful and prosperous empires to ever exist. The conquest of Constantinople, the leadership and ambition of the sultans, and the geostrategic position of the Anatolian peninsula, allowed the Ottomans to exert a great influence and to conquest nearby territories such as the ones in the Arab world, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe. The unified, but diverse empire, represented a threat to Europe; the West felt the pressure of a gigantic entity that differed completely in terms of law, culture and most importantly, religion. Nonetheless, the last years of the empire were rather turbulent and not as prosperous as in the beginning; the colonised peoples wanted their independence and so did the Turkish liberals, the aim was to transition into a modern country. During this period, which goes between the 19th Century and the first years of the 20th Century, we can find he first and most important encounters that connect Turkey and Mexico.Officially, the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist in 1922 with the abolition of the sultanate giving birth to a republic under the leadership of the father of the modern Republic of Turkey: Mustafa Kemal “Atatürk”. As can be seen, both republics faced the beginning of the 20th Century with some similarities and with great challenges ahead. The truth is that from 1928 until the end of the Cold War the engagements were practically inexistent, and the new approaches took place in the last decade of the century. The 21st Century brought, and has been bringing, new opportunities and means to build a stronger bond that has indeed been growing.Thus, this article will analyse in a historical and theoretical way the relationship between Mexico and Turkey since the time of the Viceroyalty of the New Spain and the existence of the Ottoman Empire. The intention is to offer a holistic view by focusing on the most important milestones considering the influence of several variables such as the role of global powers, the dynamics of the historical blocs, the guidance of certain elites, and the diplomatic processes which have settled the contacts between both countries. Based on a chronological categorization, we have considered their agency beyond the traditional geographical zones as well as the impact of the global structure towards their foreign policies, by emphasizing the deployments of collaboration at the end of the Cold War and the proliferation and potentiality of opportunities during the three decades of the twenty-first century.The conclusion will express the current state of the bilateral relations -up until the first four months of 2023-, a critical view on the selection of statements of support from one government to another, omitting positions regarding marginalized populations from both latitudes. Furthermore, the aim is to produce more knowledge and debate around this specific topic, offering some foresight of what is yet to come considering that in 2028 these two republics will commemorate 100 years of official diplomatic relations.
