President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “historic” visit to Iraq last month shows that Turkey has decisively adopted a new foreign policy concept, seeking regional cooperation with a focus on bilateral relations.

This concept has two pillars: an economy-oriented foreign policy and cooperation with regional states. By creating multiple mutual dependencies, it aims to foster regional stability.

From this point of view, Turkey is putting forward a vision to drive regional policy in the Middle East. Before Iraq, Turkey reached out to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Middle East faces many challenges, and a new positive orientation is needed.

Turkey had become a model country for the region before the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, but its foreign policy balance has changed since then.