By Zhu Lei, Yan Yi, Xinhua,
Istanbul, Turkey : The inaugural meeting of foreign ministers between Arab nations and Turkey convened in the largest Turkish city of Istanbul on Saturday, marking the launch of the Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum.
The establishment of such a new cooperation mechanism between Turkey and Arab countries ushered in a new era of constructive bilateral ties, politicians and analysts said.
“NEW ERA”
A joint statement issued after the meeting said the participants believed establishment of the forum “will further expand and deepen the relations in all fields between Turkey and the Arab countries by providing an institutional framework to promote cooperation and comprehensive consultations in all fields of mutual trust.”
Mohamed Ahmed Hassan Ahmed, Charge d’Affaires of the Sudanese embassy in Turkey, told Xinhua that he believed the meeting signals a “new era” of relations between Arab countries and Turkey, noting that the establishment of such a cooperation mechanism will be “fruitful.”
As a pivotal regional power, Turkey’s active participation in the Middle East peace process, especially in mediating indirect talks between Syria and Israel, would help solve these chronic issues, he said.
Asked about reasons driving Ankara to reach out to the Arab world, Ahmed said after the cold war, Turkey, faced by globalization, inevitably wants to boost its political and economic clout in the Middle East.
“Turkey really wants a good and big relationship with Arab countries,” he said.
Turkish-Arab relations started to improve in the 1980s. Over the past few years, Ankara has taken significant steps to develop and diversify its relations, on both bilateral and multilateral basis, with the Arab world. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has established consultation mechanism with a number of Arab countries.
INTERDEPENDENCY
Addressing the inaugural meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said that Turkey and Arab states are confronted with similar threats and problems, while they share the same goals and benefit from common opportunities.
“Our countries should cooperate with each other in order to cope with these problems and they (we) should search for solutions together,” he said.
In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa said that the Turks are also affected by the Middle East conflicts, which lead to Ankara’s active involvement in helping solve the long-standing Arab-Israeli confrontation.
The Arabs need an “overall relationship” with Turkey, and vice versa, said Moussa on the sidelines of the Turkish-Arab meeting.
The Arab world needs Turkey’s cooperation in solving the Arab-Israeli conflicts, the situation in Iraq and Somalia, he said, expecting Turkey’s constructive role in these issues.
Unlike its NATO ally the United States, Turkey is now enjoying good relations with all the major players in the region, said Alon Ben-Meir, an analyst on the Middle East affairs.
To achieve this, it has improved relations with Iran, mended a conflict over water with Syria, refrained from being dragged into the war in Iraq, dramatically expanded trade and military cooperation with Israel, and has become directly involved in Palestinian economic development, according to Ben-Meir.
Ziyad Koprulu, a Qatari political expert on the Middle East, said shortly before the opening of Saturday’s meeting that Turkey serves as a bridge between Arab and European nations.
The Arabs expect Turkey’s EU membership so that the relationship with it would facilitate their communication and cooperation with the 27-member European bloc, said Koprulu.