Manama: The speaker of Bahrain's lower chamber has lauded Turkey's stances towards Arab and Islamic issues, saying that they were a strong boost for Arabs and Muslims.
"Turkey's positions have been honourable and we are proud of them. The power and influence of Arab and Muslim countries have increased thanks to support from Turkey, a country that has a special status in the region," said Khalifa Al Dhahrani.
"There is a wide spectrum of common interests between the Arabs, Muslims and Turkey based on their historic, vital and outstanding relations and their cooperation is a great boost for all of them," he said as he received Turkish Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin who arrived on Friday on a three-day visit.
The two parliament leaders are scheduled to sign a protocol on inter-parliamentary cooperation.
On Sunday, Sahin will meet Ali Saleh Al Saleh, the chairman of the Shura Council, the upper chamber in the bicameral parliament.
Turkey's new foreign policy has won huge popular support among Arabs and Muslims amid growing expectations that Ankara, following a decades-long absence, would play a constructive role in the region and would help tilt Middle Eastern balances of powers towards genuinely addressing Arab issues.
