Dr. Maitha Salem Al Shamsi, Minister of State has underlined the role of public diplomacy in globalizing world of interdependence.

Turkey spends millions of dollars every year promoting its image as a bridge between the East and the West, but a top expert in “nation branding” says it’s not about communication or promotion, but concrete policies.

Last week I chaired a meeting on Turkey’s role in the Middle East. There seems to be a never-ending interest, in Brussels at least, to discuss and debate Turkish foreign policy.Therefore, and needless to say, the discussion went far beyond recent events in the Middle East and North Africa...

The uprising in Libya and the subsequent foreign military intervention there are providing a significant test for Turkey's stated desire to create a foreign policy that combines realism with idealism, while also highlighting the difficulty Ankara is facing in balancing its aspirations to become a more independent regional leader in the Middle East...

At this time of regional turmoil – indeed global crisis – I want to share some thoughts with you about the way we in Britain see Turkey, its neighbors and Europe. There can be no doubt Turkey is already a key global power.

Turkey's prime minister has criticized the severity of the ongoing military operation in Libya, as proposals are being made to transfer control of the operation to NATO. There are questions about whether Turkey, as a NATO member, would accept such a move.

The top Portuguese diplomat in Turkey has said the two countries could benefit from sharing best business practices which each has developed over many years and help each other out in markets where they have developed competitive leads.

The revolts in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have brought home to many people that Turkey has become a force to be reckoned with in this region. Turkey enjoys lots of credibility in the Arab world. It has burgeoning trade ties and solid political relations with many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries.