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.
