An increased prominence of the so-called ‘emerging’ (‘new’) donors – countries beyond the OECD Development Assistance Committee – has become one of the most distinctive trends in international development cooperation architecture’s transformation in the 21st century. Apart from the BRICS and the Gulf countries, the Turkish Republic attracts the most attention among ‘emerging’ donors. While still receiving foreign aid, in the new millennium Turkey chose to boost expenditures on foreign assistance at an accelerated rate. This allowed her to firmly establish itself among the top five ‘emerging’ donors. The cohort of recipients of Turkish aid has expanded significantly with many beneficiaries belonging to the groups of the least developed countries (LDC) and fragile and conflict-affected states. This paper identifies the particularities of Turkey’s approaches to providing development assistance, the key internal and external determinants of their evolution, as well as the interrelation of the Republic’s general political and strategic interests and its specific understanding of contemporary development and security challenges. Special attention is paid to the self-perception of the Republic of Turkey as an ‘emerging donor’, the country’s relation to other participants of international cooperation and to the peculiarities of academic and expert communities’ views on the Turkish donorship. The conclusion is drawn that the Turkish approach to foreign assistance is primarily based on the foreign aid delivery models used by established Western donors. However, Turkey’s approach to international development cooperation is also influenced by its distinctive cultural, linguistic and religious features and historical legacy, which the Turkish authorities see as a competitive advantage that most ‘traditional’ donors do not have. Similar to other donors, Turkey is driven not only by humanitarian motives, but also by a pursuit of pragmatic political and economic interests and regards development assistance as a means of ensuring national security in the turbulent world.