Increasingly growing ties between Russia and Turkey continued this year, as cooperation and partnership in the energy sector became dominant themes in the programs of both countries. While Moscow has skillfully taken advantage of Turkey’s desire to become an energy hub through signing energy deals with its southern neighbor in recent years, rivalry continues in both countries’ backyard, the volatile South Caucasus.

All of these qualities have transformed Turkey into an attractive place for business, media, artists, diplomats, students and non-governmental organisations from around the world. Turkey's ever-increasing soft power is becoming one of its most significant traits, which we will continue to use to enhance regional and global peace.

Turkey's non-permanent membership on the UN Security Council for two years, which started at the beginning of 2009, may be marked as its most significant international mission in recent years as it came after almost a half-century-long hiatus since it last held the same post.

Distinguished American journal Foreign Policy publishes every year the names of the top 100 intellectuals from various fields who have made a global impact.

Greece accepts a full invitation from Turkey to participate with aircraft in the anniversary activities of the Turkish Air Forces in June. Sources say, however, the neighboring country has not been invited for the Anatolian Eagle military drills scheduled for later that month.

Turkey’s use of “soft power” among the 250,000 Gagauz living in the former Soviet space...represents a growing threat to Russian interests not just in Moldova but across the entire Black Sea region, according to a Russian analyst.

Turkey's minister of foreign affairs said on Tuesday that media organs were important actors for public diplomacy. Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoglu attended the "Turkish-Speaking Countries Media Forum", jointly organized by Turkey's Directorate General of Press & Information and Turkish Foreign Ministry's Center for Strategic Research, in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

As some of the more interesting of the WikiLeaked State Department documents show, that is a question that two consecutive U.S. administrations have struggled with. During eight years of rule by the mildly Islamist Justice and Development Party, Turkey has become something of a model of the tricky 21st-century relationships the United States will have to manage.