Turkey's Prime Minister called on Arab nations Tuesday to boost co-operation with Ankara and to brush aside disputes that weakened ties in the past. "Arabs are our brothers," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a passionate speech at the opening of a two-day conference on Arab-Turkish relations in Kuwait City.
"We must stand together... By joining forces, we can overcome all our problems. We can resolve the problem of Palestine and the problems of Iraq and Afghanistan," said Erdogan. "Let's unite together... We can achieve a lot. We do not need a third party to reform and improve our ties. We in Turkey open all our hearts to you," he said.
Erdogan's Islamist-rooted government has boosted Turkey's image and popularity tremendously in the Arab world, especially after the premier's vehement criticism of Israel following its devastating war on the Gaza Strip two years ago. Erdogan said Turkey has come under strong criticism because of its new policy of exposing atrocities in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Palestinian territories.
"Because we speak about Kabul, Baghdad, Gaza and Palestine, we have been strongly criticised ... Those critics said that we have no place in the European Union," Erdogan said. He called on Arab nations to forget differences and disputes of the past as "these were based on lies."
Erdogan also blasted those who link Islam to terror, saying this was an insult to Muslims. The Turkish premier is in Kuwait heading a 500-strong official and business delegation, looking to boost economic and political ties with this oil-rich Gulf state.
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