RIYADH: A senior official of Turkey's think tank said on Tuesday that the people of Turkey look up to the Saudis as brothers while the new stress of Turkish media's coverage of Middle East emphasizes the turnaround in Turkey's view of the Arabs.
Dr. Yasin Aktay, a lecturer and director of Institute of Strategic Thinking in Turkey, was speaking at King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) on Arab-Turkish relations and the "Arab Spring" from the perspective of the Turkish media.
The turnaround in Turkey's attitude toward the Arab world came following the victory of the Justice and Development Party (JDP) in the 2007 elections.
The shift in Turkey's policies was welcomed by Abdullah Alshamri, a Saudi foreign relations expert, who was moderating the forum. He said that Turkey is now playing a major role in the Middle East and has filled the political vacuum created by "Arab Spring." However, he felt that there is some apprehension in the Middle East that the rise in Turkish influence could be at the expense of the traditional roles played by some Arab states.
He added that Arab countries should benefit from Turkish role, especially on the Palestinian issue. Turkish role is equally important in Iraq, he said, adding the solution is to pitch for a Turkish role in Iraq as part of a balancing act.
Referring to the paradigm shift in Turkish thinking, the lecturer said it came about in the wake of four army coups from 1960 to 1997 culminating in the electoral triumph of the JDP. In the meantime, the party called for comprehensive reforms as part of a thorough review of the country's foreign policy. At another level, it sought to minimize the influence of the Westernized elite holding the reins of power.
This led to educational reforms, causing the number of universities to rise from 85 to 165. The party encouraged the economic initiatives that resulted in the increase in Turkish exports from $28 billion to $140 billion.
At the political and economic levels Aktay said the party has achieved great success by adopting a reformist agenda implemented by highly qualified people. It did also to reduce the level of corruption through constitutional and legislative amendments.
Talking on the transformation of its foreign policy, Aktay explained that Turkey played a vital role to bridge the gap between the West and the East and between Islam and Europe. It also played a seminal role in enriching the cultural heritage by opening up to Islamic civilizations. Turkey tried to resolve all its outstanding disputes with Arab states and also eased restriction on certain Arab countries to further strengthen Arab-Turkish relations.
Talking on the Arab Spring, the lecturer said that both Turkish government and media have strongly welcomed the Arab spring movements.
© Arab News 2011
