An ongoing process of interaction with the West and the East has moulded Turkish history. As a country and people, we are at the crossroads of civilisations, religions and trade. Therefore, the external environment and its dynamics, and interaction with Europe – sometimes confrontational, sometimes harmonious – are among the decisive factors in our historical development. Thus, the Ottoman Turkish presence in Europe during the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries brought forward new ideals and new patterns of social relationships, introducing human values and a highly egalitarian, efficient and sophisticated organisation in an era when feudalism, a lack of tolerance and exploitation of the people prevailed.