Turkey narrowly avoids diplomatic scandal in Kuwait

Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci is seen during a press conference at the Ministry of Economy headquarters in this photo dated Sept.12, 2014. (Photo: Today's Zaman, Mevlüt Karabulut)

By Deniz Arslan
Tuesday, April 28, 2015

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Turkey narrowly avoided a diplomatic scandal last week when Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci informed the Arab League that he would not be able to participate in the Turkish-Arab Economy, Trade and Investment Ministers meeting in Kuwait.

Zeybekci instead said he would be attending a Cabinet meeting on April 20 chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a foreign diplomat in Ankara told Today's Zaman.

Zeybekci's failure to attend an international gathering that had been planned long in advance with the excuse of attending a domestic meeting in Ankara angered some of the participating countries and, through diplomatic channels, Turkish officials were told that if Zeybekci did not attend, the meeting would be canceled.

Two countries in particular, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), had already been pressuring the Arab League to cancel the meeting even before Zeybekci's Cabinet meeting excuse, Today's Zaman has learned.

Turkey was already at odds with Arab countries, especially Egypt and the UAE. Since the removal of Egypt's first elected leader -- former President Mohammed Morsi -- from power in June 2013 by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President Erdoğan has been one of the strongest critics of the new regime, saying that it has no legitimacy. Erdoğan's decision to side with Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is considered a terrorist organization by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, has damaged Turkey's relationships with the Gulf States as well.

In the end Zeybekci attended the meeting in Kuwait on April 20, after Turkish Foreign Ministry officials intervened and convinced him that not attending could hurt Turkey both economically and politically.

President Erdoğan is visiting Kuwait this week to boost economic ties and regional cooperation.

Turkey's problems with the Arab world are not new. In late March, at an Arab League summit held in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Arab League President Nabil Elaraby accused Turkey, along with Israel and Iran, of interfering and causing conflicts in various Arab nations. The statement caused outrage in Turkey, resulting in the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoning the representative of the Arab League to Ankara on March 30 and calling Elaraby's remarks “unacceptable.” The ministry also issued a statement on April 1 that said Turkey condemned Elaraby's “baseless accusations,” stressing that the country pursues a peaceful policy in the region.

Also of relevance, Saudi-led military airstrikes continue to hit Shiite Houthi forces in Yemen. The US and Turkey have expressed support for the military airstrikes. The Arab League supports the decision to take a more aggressive stance against Shiite power Iran, which is allegedly backing the Yemeni Houthis. Iran denies that it is providing support to the Houthis.

Despite the problems, Turkey aims to boost trade with Arab countries. Zeybekci was a keynote speaker at the meeting hosted by Kuwaiti Finance Minister Anas Khalid Al Salih. During his speech, Zeybekci asked for more cooperation in the region.

Jordan, Kuwait, Mauritania, Oman, Qatar, Somalia and Sudan attended the second Turkish-Arab Economy, Trade and Investment Ministers meeting, which are scheduled to take place every two years. The Arab Trade Chambers Union and Turkey's Foreign Economic Relations Board is expected to sign a deal for the establishment of a Turkish-Arab Business Council.

According to the Kuwait news agency (KUNA), Zeybekci said in a speech during the ministers meeting that the trade volume between Turkey and the Arab countries amounted to $53 billion last year and was expected to reach $70 billion in the first quarter of 2017 and that over the past decade trade between Turkey and the Arab countries had increased by 300 percent.

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