The flurry of diplomatic activity involving the Middle East continues to gain speed on a number of fronts, revealing efforts at new alignments, such as between Moscow and Cairo. Turkey too is wasting no time in trying to overcome its recent isolation in the region and return as an active player.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, following up on his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari’s visit to Ankara at the end of October, flew to Baghdad on Nov. 10 to sustain the growing momentum between their two countries as they try to overcome differences on a number of issues. Davutoglu and Zebari are also trying to establish a proactive agenda whereby Turkey and Iraq can work together to reduce regional sectarian tensions that have been on the upswing. While in Iraq, Davutoglu was not only warmly received by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, but also broke new ground for Turkey by visiting Najaf and Karbala, the holiest of the Shiite cities.

Al-Monitor’s Ali Mamouri, in his Nov. 13 post, explains the significance of these visits during the Shiite holy month of Muharram. He also provides information on the talks Davutoglu had in Najaf with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and the Shiite cleric and leader Muqtada al-Sadr. 

Davutoglu's visit represents a new phase of outreach to the Shiites and indicates that Ankara is trying to pull itself back onto neutral territory after having openly favored the Sunnis in Syria, thus contributing to the region’s sectarian divisions. These latest steps by Turkey also come at a time when Ankara and Tehran, whose relations were also strained over Syria, have decided to open a new chapter in their relations as well.