1st round of Arab-Turkish dialogue kicks off

(With photos) DAMASCUS, Aug 7 (KUNA) -- The first round of the Arab-Turkish parliamentary dialogue kicked off here on Saturday to discuss the future of Arab-Turkish relations and ways of developing them within political, economic, and cultural cooperation.
The gathering will look into the latest developments in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Afghanistan, in addition to the Iranian nuclear file and the Arab - Israeli conflict.
Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Arab Parliament Mohammad Abu Hudeib underscored in his speech the importance of this dialogue for Arab Parliament and the people of the two nations, expressing hope that this dialogue will be a serious beginning for closer bilateral relations and broader prospects for development in various fields.
He pointed to the strategic depth of relations that bind the Arabs with the Turks, wishing that this would be a good omen for the two nations.
Abu Hudeib called for opening a new page in relations between the Arab and Turkish nations, noting that the current meeting would put a coordinating framework for a future meeting to be hosted by Kuwait before the end of the year.
For his part, Kuwaiti National Assmbly MP Marzouq Al-Ghanim said the GCC-Turkish dialogue to be hosted by Kuwait next October at the government level underscores the interest of the Kuwaiti government, parliament and people to develop relations between the Arabs in general and Kuwait with Turkey in particular.
This came in statements made by the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Kuwaiti parliament Al-Ghanim to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on the sidelines of his participation in the first round of the Arab-Turkish dialogue.
Al-Ghanim described the Arab-Turkish relations as strategic and important in light of serious challenges facing the region, a matter that required joint coordination and cooperation.
He recalled Turkey's firm positions towards the Arab and Islamic issues, foremost the Palestinian issue.
Al-Ghanim said that coordination between Arab governments and the Turkish government was a source of annoyance for many governments, particularly the Government of the Zionist entity, stressing in this regard the need to take rapid strides to promote bilateral Arab-Turkish cooperation. (end).
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