World press on Turkey's policy towards the Middle East (April 17, 2013)

Since the beginning of the Arab Spring, Turkey has been speaking less and less about its integration into the European Union, an article by Ardavan Amir-Aslani published by Atlantico reads. The reason is that the country is much more interested in the processes unfolding in the Middle East. Turkey still wants to join the EU, but it wants to join the bloc as a mighty empire rather than a regular member-state.

Turkey's major aim is to impose its cultural, political and economic influence on the countries where the revolutions of the Arab Spring have already been won and on those that may soon join the previous ones, such as Jordan, Algeria and the countries of the Persian Gulf. In other words, Turkey is trying to become an actual superpower.

All this will probably lead to a conflict between Turkey and Iran, another ambitious country of the region, the author believes. The tensions between the two states became evident during the Syrian crisis. These tensions have a rich history, as the Ottoman Empire and Persia were vehement opponents for centuries.