The call for unity will only enhance the GCC’s role and make it an effective regional and international player. The call for unity reflects two important issues. Firstly, it underlines the historical and cultural responsibility of the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia has always been raising the banner of Islamic unity and Arab solidarity. Secondly, the call reflects the strategic vision of the Kingdom and the need to face great challenges. No doubt, realizing unity under the leadership of the Kingdom will benefit the people of the region and it will reinforce security and stability. Furthermore, it will protect the Gulf region from provocations and external threats.
Tunisia experienced a mass revolution that brought down a police regime but did not bring down the state. The pillars of the state remained intact and this helped to go beyond revolution and start building a better future for Tunisians. Additionally, people had their first free elections. These reflected the Tunisian’s preference for a Muslim and Arab identity. In my view, most Tunisians are optimistic about a better future, especially when Islamic forces show moderation. Obviously, these forces put the national interest ahead of their ideological calculations. That became evident when Islamists insisted on forming a coalition with liberals and leftists. If anything, this reflects a level of awareness of what constitutes the national interest. The Tunisian experience is destined to succeed, especially with the help of friends like Saudi Arabia. I expect a prominent economic and political Saudi presence in Tunisia, as this will only reinforce an Arabic and Islamic identity for Tunisians.
Egypt is a pivotal state in both the Arab world and in the Middle East. Current events in the country are not isolated from regional and international events. Some are not keen on Egypt playing a prominent role in the region. Others do not want to see democracy take root in Egypt in a way that might reflect negatively on the security and future of Israel. What happened in Egypt cannot be seen as a full revolution. It is a half revolution as it only managed to bring down the head of the regime. Its pillars remained in place. During this unstable situation in Egypt, elections took place with Islamists wining squarely. This resulted in internal and external forces resorting to pushing people’s panic buttons. The current crisis in Egypt cannot be defused without wisdom in the interim so that Egyptians will feel that their revolution has realized its objective and that it will restore Egypt’s pioneering role in the region.”
There is a clear rivalry between Turkey and Iran at more than one level. Yet, this competition does not reach a clashing point as each realizes the importance of the other. In my opinion, Iran is a very important and big country in the region and therefore should adopt an unprovocative foreign policy toward its neighbors. Iran is part and parcel of the region and should stop promoting its sectarian doctrine. This would make Iran a considerable economic and political partner in the region and it would create trust. This would contribute to the security of all and enhance regional stability.”
Turkey enjoys a strategic presence within a framework of cooperation and noninterference in others’ internal affairs. Still, not all would welcome Turkey’s influence in the region. Why would that be?
Ever since the rise of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party to power in 2002, Ankara has started genuine reconciliation with its Arab neighbors. The trust between the two sides and the Arab-Turkish relationship has developed markedly. For this reason, Turkey is qualified to play a key regional role on Arab and Muslim issues. It seems that Turkey’s domestic and regional transformations have annoyed other regional and international players. Chief among them is Israel. It has tried for a while to distance Turkey from Arabs and Muslims. Israel launched a campaign to cast doubt on Turkey and scare the Arabs with what they call ‘neo-Ottomanism’. This tactic has one objective — to have the Arabs doubt the new Turkish approach in the region. Those who doubt the Turkish role have agendas and interests that contradict the interests and aspirations of people of the region. They are particularly concerned with Arab-Turkish relations and fear this might transform into an alliance that could potentially change the balance of power. I think it is about time Arabs and Turks realized the importance of an alliance, provided it is based on one strategic vision and a balanced partnership that will help realize the interests of both. Surely this will enable them to face challenges and put an end to some provocative regional policies.
The positive role Turkey played in the region has qualified it to play this particular role. Ankara has sought to play a positive role with the Syrian regime in order to avert a risk of confrontation between the government and the people. Officials in Ankara mistakenly believed their friendship with the Syrian regime would qualify them to convince the regime to give up on the more military-based approach in dealing with the demands of Syrians. However, Ankara failed and then chose to fully support the choices of the Syrian people. At the same time it abandoned the Syrian regime. That said, Ankara realizes that a future partnership with Syria will be much stronger with a pluralist democratic regime. I believe that powerful nations in the region, such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey, are to coordinate closely with regard to the Syrian crisis to avert a replay of what happened in Iraq.”
French enmity toward Turkey dates back to the Ottoman Islamic times, when the Ottoman army rang the doorbell of Leon in France. Therefore, it is a matter of historical accumulations in addition to the emerging regional role of Ankara and Turkey’s competition with France in the MENA region. France feels that Turkey needs to join the EU. Also the transformation of Turkey into a big economic power, while remaining unaffected by the world financial crisis, has added to this French resentment. One should not overlook the presence of a Zionist lobby in France that has been using the Armenian controversy as a trump card against Turkey.
Turkey realizes that Saudi Arabia is a big influential player with huge respect among Muslims. Therefore, Turkey views Saudi Arabia as an indispensable strategic partner. It seems that the advanced stage of this relationship underscores the fact that this relationship is strategic. Also, Ankara’s position on the security of Bahrain shows that the security of the Gulf is paramount for Turkey. I would like to say that Turkey’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and the rest of the GCC is conditioned by a strategic vision. This can lead to an alliance with Turkey that can enhance the security and stability in the region as a whole.
