Closer ties with Turkey ‘ a strategic option’
GULF SECURITY CRUCIAL ELEMENT IN REGION, DAVUTOGLU SAYS
Bahrain’s Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa on Monday said that closer Gulf- Turkish relations are a strategic option for the region. Closer ties are needed amid the regional and international fast- paced developments in order to confront challenges to the region, Prince Khalifa said.
Coordination and cooperation between the Arabian Gulf states and Turkey would improve stability and prosperity, particularly that Ankara has a heavy political weight internationally that makes it highly influential in matters of international security and peace, Prince Khalifa added as he received Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, in Manama.
Prince Khalifa said that Bahrain was looking forward to broadening its relations with Turkey, based on close coordination on regional and international issues.
King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa, at a meeting with Davutoglu, said that Turkey had a prominent role in the region and praised its efforts to reinforce regional and international security, stability and peace. He also lauded Turkey’s “honourable stances on Arab and Islamic issues,” Bahrain News Agency reported. Davutoglu said that Turkey was keen on closer ties with the Gulf countries and stressed that their security was a crucial and effective element in the region.
Closer ties
The Gulf Cooperation Council ( GCC), established in 1981 in Abu Dhabi, brings together Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Relations between the Gulf and Turkey are likely to become closer as the GCC states are evolving their foreign policies to adjust to changing realities in the region and the failure of the international system to provide satisfactory solutions to regional crises and threats.
Relations between the GCC states and Turkey have been steadily progressing and the signing of several agreements related to investments, commerce and tourism have pushed the trade balance from $ 1.490 billion ( Dh5.472 billion) in 2002 to $ 19.6 billion in 2012.