Turkey has been an active player in the arena of European security and defence architecture since the beginning of the Cold War. Nevertheless, the end of the Cold War changed the rules of the game and Turkey’s status in this new environment was no exception. Turkey evaluated changing conditions, and came up with the conclusion that NATO1 membership would not suffice anymore, and that the WEU was an important organization for the continuation of Turkey’s relevance in the post-Cold War era. Within this context, Turkey tried to develop its “associate membership” status in the WEU