Bahraini Crown Prince calls Turkey model country of the region

In Manama, Bahrain over the weekend, Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin met with Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman Bin Hamad al-Khalifa and Bahraini Shura Council Chairman Ali Bin Saleh al-Saleh. During his meeting with Sahin, al-Khalifa praised Turkey for its policies favoring economic competition, the rule of law, and a free market economy. "Turkey is the best model country for the region," he said. "We expect Turkey to play a leading and central role in the region. We've pinned our hopes on Turkey." Meeting with al-Saleh, Sahin said, "Turkey is making great efforts to solve problems facing the Islamic world in cooperation with regional countries, including Bahrain. Our cooperation with regional countries particularly to solve the Palestinian issue will continue." For his part, al-Saleh said Bahrain appreciates Turkey's foreign policy. "Turkey has a leading position on the global stage, and sets an example with its approach towards issues of the region. We appreciate Turkey's constructive stance in the international arena," he said. Stressing that Turkey taking a more active foreign policy would benefit the region as well, he asked Ankara to step up its efforts to help solve the Palestinian issue.