Turkey and the Arab states - Lebanon, Jordan and Syria - made a decision to establish а cooperation council “to create a free zone of movement of goods and persons among them.” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu states it should not be viewed as an alternative to the European Union, Mignews agency reports.

According to him, Turkey still seeks to join the EU, but its desires cannot restrict Turkey’s relations with its neighboring states.

The deal was signed during the Turkish-Arab Economic Forum in Istanbul, where officials from Arab nations burst into applause as the Turkish PM walked to the podium. Turkey's popularity in the Middle East increased amid disputes over the Freedom Flotilla incident.

On May 31, Israeli troops stormed a Gaza-bound international humanitarian flotilla. Nine people, Turkish and U.S. citizens, were killed.