Mubarak to arrive in Turkey today for second visit this year

Mubarak, who left Cairo on Sunday, had talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at Paris’ Elysée Palace on Monday ahead of his arrival in Turkey. He is scheduled to have talks with both President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Bilateral relations and developments in the Middle East as well as regional and international affairs that are the subject of close interest by the two countries will be discussed by Mubarak and Gül, a brief written statement from Gül’s office said Monday. There was no official statement from either Egyptian or Turkish officials concerning the venue of the visit, but since it’s described as a working visit rather than an official visit, talks are likely to take place in İstanbul.

Mubarak’s most recent visit to Turkey took place in February, amid diplomatic efforts for a more durable truce in the Palestinian territories and preparations for an aid conference on the Gaza Strip -- the conference to which Turkish leaders frequently refer when they blame the international community for failing to honor the promises given at the conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, since the human tragedy in Gaza is still ongoing.

Turkey, a NATO member and a candidate for European Union membership, has in recent years focused on boosting its political and economic cooperation with Middle Eastern countries and has sought to establish itself as a broker in regional conflicts.

Ankara’s rising activity has led to the Arab media’s questions as to whether Turkey’s close interest in the Middle East was a matter of leadership within the region. Focusing on such questions, some of the Arab media sometimes compare the abilities of Turkey and Egypt in regards to their ability to deliver peace initiatives; some even pose it as a question of democracy and stability, showing Turkey as a model.

Yet, both Ankara and Cairo have insistently ruled out such arguments, saying they are not competitors but partners in the region. Ankara gave as an example its sincere and active support of Egypt’s role in launching active efforts to resolve differences between Palestinian groups.

In remarks aired on the English-language Russia Today TV channel last week, Prime Minister Erdoğan firmly denied that he was trying to be the leader of the Islamic world, saying he had no intention at all of taking on such a role.

“I haven’t tried to be a leader of the Islamic world,” Erdoğan responded when asked about his and his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) multidimensional foreign policy and suggestions that such a policy has been leading the country toward becoming the leader of the Islamic world.

“I’ve never tried to achieve that. These kinds of things don’t happen just because someone wishes for this or that mission. We believe in being of optimal service for our people. Of course, we want to establish equal relations with other countries, because there is a problem of inequality in the world,” he went on to say, according to the Anatolia news agency.

Still, following Erdoğan’s visit last week to Washington, where he met with US President Barack Obama and held talks at several think tanks focusing on the dynamics and principles of Turkey’s foreign policy, a prominent expert in Middle Eastern affairs writing for The Washington Times put its spotlight on this policy and its probable implications.

“While the prime minister’s discourse on Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories was received with stupor by Israeli diplomats, Arab diplomats were more than pleased,” Claude Salhani said in a Sunday article.

“‘He said what Arab leaders should be saying but don’t dare say,’ said an Arab diplomat who asked not to be identified. The diplomat told this reporter that the Turkish prime minister’s speech was ‘courageous’,” the article by Salhani, the editor of the Middle East Times and author of “While the Arab World Slept: The Impact of the Bush Years on the Middle East,” said.

During Mubarak’s visit here, Egypt’s ongoing efforts to broker a deal between Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, and Israel for the release the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for Israel freeing of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are likely to be at the center of discussions.

In addition to that, the global dispute surrounding Iran’s controversial nuclear program; the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean, which was launched in Paris in July 2008 following intense efforts by France’s Sarkozy; Egypt’s support of Greek Cyprus’ plans to open the Mediterranean for oil exploration despite objections from its northern neighbor Turkey and the estranged Turkish Cypriots; and bilateral economic relations are expected to cover the agenda of the talks.