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Depending on which side of the Bosphorus you are on, Turkey is either a part of Europe and hoping one day it will become a member of the European Union (EU), or it is part of the Middle East. Even Turks disagree, regardless of where they may live.
As the Turkish government hankers to be part of the EU and is already a part of Nato, it further adds to the confusion when there are strong claims made that it is an integral part of the Middle East. However, East or West, it is really of very little importance; what is of greater concern is that the nation should be fully respected as a member of the international community and its sovereign rights accepted.
As a further endeavour to be assimilated into the region, Turkey has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) to become the council's first strategic partner outside the Gulf.
The thinking behind such an agreement is for closer co-operation and ties on matters of political, economic, military and security matters. In all likelihood, the driving force behind the agreement will be economic collaboration, an area which will benefit all parties to the agreement.
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