Turkey is a founding member of the United Nations,[1] the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (now the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation),[2] the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development[3] and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe,[4] has been in the Council of Europe since 1949,[5] and in NATO since 1952.[6] Since 2005, Turkey is in accession negotiations with the European Union, having been an associate member since 1963 and is also in European Customs Union.[7] Turkey is also a member of the G20 industrial nations which brings together the 20 largest economies of the world.
Turkey entered NATO in 1952 and serves as the organization's vital eastern anchor, controlling the straits leading from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and sharing a border with Syria, Iraq, and Iran. A NATO headquarters is located in İzmir, and the United States has maintained air forces at a Turkish base called Incirlik that is located near the Mediterranean city of Adana.
Turkey is also member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It has signed free trade agreements with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Israel, the United Kingdom[8] and many other countries. In 1992, Turkey and 10 other regional nations formed the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Business Council to expand regional trade and economic cooperation.
In December 2000 Turkey became an observer state of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS).[9] In 2017 ASEAN-Turkey Sectoral Dialogue Partnership was recognized by the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila, Philippines.[10]