Egemen Bagis, Turkey’s minister for European Union Affairs and chief negotiator, values the strong Saudi-Turkish economic relations and said yesterday that it’s committed strengthening ties with its Eastern neighbors.

Bagis described Turkey as a bridge that has always connected East and West politically, economically and culturally and that while it is communicating with the West, it does not ignore its Eastern roots.

Bagis was speaking on the sidelines of a lecture he delivered on Turkey’s membership in the European Union and the impact on its economic relations with the Muslim World during a symposium at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah.

He said Turkey is the only Muslim-majority nation that is a member of the OIC, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Turkey is seeking to become a member of the European Union.

He said that at different times in its history, Turkey has been on different sides, but currently it is certainly strengthening its relations in all directions at the same time. Turkey could play a unique role in Europe. He said that in the past political relations defined economic position; today it is the other way around.