Ottoman sultans did not care for the support of other states or learning opinions and policies of them in certain issues because they thought that it was a kind of inferiority for them to establish permanent diplomatic missions in these countries. (Tuncer, 11) On the other hand, there are different approaches to the source of this sense of superiority. For some scholars, it derived from the perception of Islam as a universal religion and the Ottomans’ duty of safeguarding and expanding the rule of Islam. However, it can be argued that the basic motive of Ottoman sultans was to expand their imperial power rather than solely expanding territories under the flag of Islam. Therefore, the Ottoman rulers did not try to establish bilateral diplomatic relations and missions in foreign countries until the 18th century due to their imperial claims and the sense of superiority rather than religious biases which impeded their mutual relations on the basis of equality which is an important principle of modern diplomacy.