Turkey aims to boost GCC ties amid free trade talks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said he aimed to boost economic and military ties with Arab Gulf states, as talks on a free trade zone deal pushed ahead.

Erdogan, who is expected in Kuwait on Tuesday, said Ankara was involved in "high level strategic dialogue" with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the state-run KUNA news agency reported.

Erdogan also confirmed that talks on a free trade zone between Turkey and the GCC were under way.

During his visit, Erdogan and Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah are expected to lay the foundation stone of a $4.3-billion (3.9-billion-euro) airport expansion project awarded to Turkish firm Limak Holding.