Turkey's Foreign Policy and Economic Interests in the Gulf

Abstract

Although there are some explicit political and security dimensions to Turkish foreign policy in the Gulf region, the overall rationale is economic. This paper examines the active Turkish foreign policy, the complex dynamics in the Gulf where Turkey could offer possible alternative solutions for regional and international problems, and the extent to which the bilateral economic objectives which are being pursued in the Gulf will inevitably generate a more substantial political and strategic role for Turkey. The following political and economic issues with some convergences and divergences between Turkey and the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries will be discussed: how the moderating role of Turkey began to gain substance as a unique example of modernization in the aftermath of the nascent political Arab Spring events in the Gulf and how the substantial increase of business and trade levels resulted in the improvement of relations between Turkey and the GCC countries. The fundamental premise in this paper will be that Turkey–GCC ties have to go beyond preferential trading partnerships and address a number of primary political challenges.