Turkey, Gulf countries discuss strategic dialogue, trade ties

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu flew to Kuwait yesterday to attend talks with his counterparts from six Gulf countries on strategic and economic ties. The meeting will be the second such gathering since Turkey and the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreed to develop a "strategic dialogue" on regional political and economic issues in 2008. The first foreign ministerial gathering took place last year in Istanbul. Today's meeting, to be attended by Davutoglu and his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait, will focus on ways to expand trade cooperation, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. There will also be an exchange of views among Turkey and the GCC countries on regional and international issues.