Paradigma: İktisadi ve İdari Araştırmalar Dergisi

Abstract

The aim of the article is to analyze in a sociological framework, how the relations between Ukraine and the Islamic Republic of Iran were shaped and changed between the years 1991-2023. The data, consisting largely of Ukraine-based sources, were collected by the literature review technique of the qualitative research method. The findings were obtained by thematic descriptive analysis of the data in the context of institutional power relations. In this context, three main findings were reached. Firstly; relations between Ukraine and Iran developed in the direction of multidimensional cooperation from 1991 to almost 2020. Ukraine, on the one hand, was trying to get out of the economic collapse by improving its relationship with Iran, and on the other hand, it was gaining independence from Russia. Iran, on the other hand, found a separate market by improving its relationship with Ukraine, on the other hand, it was benefiting from Soviet technology independently from Russia. Secondly; since 1991, Ukraine and Iran have been trying to maintain their bilateral relationship without the influence of third parties. However, this has been only partially possible so far. The Ukraine-Iran relationship has been constantly affected by the relationship of both sides, especially with the United States. It can be said that the Ukraine-Iran relations approach cooperation to the extent that it moves away from the influence of third parties, and approaches almost hostility by becoming extremely destabilized to the extent that it is influenced by third parties such as the USA and Russia. Thirdly; The four distinct and sequential events that led to the evolution of the Ukraine-Iranian relationship from cooperation to almost hostility are as follows: US sanctions against Iran in 2018, beginning of the term of President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky in May 2019, accidental shooting down of a civilian plane of Ukrainian airlines in Iran in January 2020, and by September 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine with Iranian-made kamikazes. Since the number of scientific studies focusing on the Ukraine-Iran bilateral relations is very few, the article is also aimed at eliminating this deficiency to some extent.