An election battle described as the most difficult since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in Turkey in 2002 ended with Recep Tayyip Erdogan winning a new presidential term, but during this battle questions were raised about Turkey's relations in the coming years with the Arab world.

The report "The Story Has a Rest" (2023/5/29) followed up on the electoral papers that were used in the electoral campaigns, including papers that focused on alleviating the suffering of citizens from the effects of inflation and rising prices, and removing the effects of the earthquake that hit large areas of the country, while other papers highlighted the policy of dealing with refugees in light of a wave of hostility in which politicians and candidates participated.

In this regard, former AKP MP Rasul Toson said that Erdogan has previously announced since he first took office, that he will open a new white page in his foreign policy, and that relations will be with neighbors by zeroing problems, and that Turkey's orientations are not limited to the West only, but that Istanbul is a bridge between West and East and does not turn its back on its neighbors.

He also pointed out that Erdogan is keen to improve relations with the West, as well as with the countries of the Islamic world and third world countries as well, as Turkey opened up to Africa by opening new embassies, stressing that foreign policy under Erdogan will not be limited to one side, and will be open to the countries of the world.

Turkey and the Arab World

For his part, Ali Hussein Bakir, a professor at the Ibn Khaldun Center at Qatar University, explained that the Arab world has turned into a great polemic material inside Turkey, pointing out that there are those in Turkey who want to isolate it from its geographical surroundings related to the Middle East and the Arab world, as well as from its history and identity, and then put it in the category of belonging to the West.

As for Erdogan's vision, according to Bakir, it is completely different, and is based on the fact that Turkey is part of the history and geography of the region, and therefore it is illogical to isolate it from its framework, but rather to work to open up to it.

In the Arab world, Bakeer explained that the relationship with Egypt will witness a great development in the next stage, where the focus will be on investment, trade, the eastern Mediterranean basin and the Libyan file. In North African countries, he pointed out that the West is very annoyed by the Turkish role in Algeria and Morocco, but there is awareness on the Turkish side of the sensitivities in the region, and each country is treated according to its specificities.

In the opinion of observers, the competition for the presidency was a competition between two visions of Turkey's role and future: a vision adopted by the defeated candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, which resonated with sectors of the Turkish street, and is based on the secularism established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and made it turn its face to the West.

The other vision is represented by the winning President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other sectors of the Turkish street, who believe in extending historical lines of communication with the Arabs and the Islamic world, without abandoning relations with the West.

Despite the end of the electoral battle, the polarization between the two visions is part of political life, as well as Turkey's relations with the Arab world, which have witnessed a strong boost since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power, marred by tension and differences during the Arab Spring revolutions, but Ankara has recently returned to a policy of zeroing and settling its problems and differences with many Arab countries.