AVETIK HARUTYUNYAN
decision-making and have an impact on the final decision . Besides that , especially after 1960 , parliamentary parties got an opportunity to draw the attention of the government on foreign policy issues and present their views on them , while the clearly identified supervisory authority of the GNAT over the government with the right of giving a vote of confidence to its program and unseating the Council of Ministers or any of the ministers was forcing the government at least to take those views into account . However , with the constitutional amendments of 2017 , this possible role of Parliament was significantly limited , since although it still had the ability to raise foreign policy issues and draw attention to them , the lack of tangible supervisory powers of the GNAT over the President and the government made this role of Parliament even more symbolic .
The Presidency and Foreign Policy making before and after 2017
The constitution of 1924 defined the president of the Republic as the Head of State , who was to be elected by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey . 24 Additionally , the constitution granted the president the authority to appoint the prime minister and the ministers suggested by the prime minister and , if necessary , to chair the meetings of the Council of Ministers . 25 In the field of foreign policy , the president had the authority to accredit representatives of the Republic of Turkey to foreign states and receive the representatives of foreign states appointed to the Republic of Turkey . 26 It was also specified that all presidential decrees ( including those related to foreign affairs ) should be signed by the prime minister and the relevant minister , and the prime minister and the minister concerned were responsible for those decrees . 27
As is apparent , although the constitution of 1924 granted the president some powers to participate in the political life of the country , the actual responsibilities of the president in foreign policy decisionmaking were very limited . However , as already mentioned , the fact of being chair of the ruling and only political party in Turkey , as well as their personal authority in practice granted the first two presidents of the Republic , M . Kemal Ataturk and I . Inonu , unlimited power in decisionmaking , including on the issues of foreign policy .
24 Teşkilâti Esasiye Kanunu 1924 , articles 31 and 32 .
25
Ibid , articles 32 and 44 .
26
Ibid , article 37 .
27
Ibid , article 39 . 37