Views /Editor-in-Chief

Are new steps being taken towards enhancing ties between the Gulf and Turkey? If not, I think it is time to take some serious measures in this direction. The chill in relations between the two sides witnessed in the aftermath of the Arab Spring and the coldness marking the relations due to the crises in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Palestine and more specifically the Gaza Strip, in addition to some economic and investment issues, do not augur well for the region. We can notice that relations on Turkey have formed around two axes – first led by the UAE and Saudi, which is conservative in its approach, and the second by Qatar and Kuwait, which is more flexible, both of which are moving in different directions.    
However, the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the funeral of late King Abdullah and the Turkish announcement of mourning over the death can be taken as positive gestures.
At the same time, many are looking at the potential role Qatar and Kuwait can play to improve the relationship between Turkey and some Gulf countries, and also with the Egyptian regime and some other Arab states.  
“We have long-standing, historical relationships with the Gulf countries, and it is not possible to keep away from each other and treat each other with coldness,” said Bulent Arinc, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister in an interview with Al Jazeera TV channel. Looking at the Arab-Turkish relations, people of both sides share many common cultural elements, religion, history, common interests and the same fate and future.
Although the current relations are limited to diplomatic engagements, there is anxiety about each other’s regional and international aspirations and movements. Currently, the relations are restricted to the level of mutual visits. Formal visits not designated to include development programmes, joint investment projects, or scientific researches, or implementation of industry and agricultural development schemes don’t produce any results. It is time to end such old-fashioned relations and rebuild ties based on common interests and according to contemporary vision and reconciliation.   
Turkey is an ambitious player in the region and a democracy with Arab and Islamic roots. It’s seeking membership of the European Union to end its traditional enmity with Europe and is at cultural, economical and political crossroads between the East and the West, or what we call the Muslim world and the Christian West. It is a legitimate ambition and it could be a positive factor that will strengthen stability in the most troubled region of the Middle East and North Africa. The Peninsula
The Peninsula