Prof. Dr. Tansu Çiller interpreted the vitality of contemporary Turkish foreign policy Perceptions, September-November 1996 as a traditionally peace-orientated foreign policy in a post-Cold War climate, outlining in particular possible successes and difficulties ahead in terms of co-operation, relations with the West, Russia, the Middle-East and Islamic countries and concluding with an impressive set of statistics with regard to the Turkish economy and the consolidation of democracy. I use the term interpreted in a specific, rather than throw-away sense.