Today: 22 June 2025
5 May 2022
3 mins read

Turkey thaws relations with Saudi Arabia

Erdogan’s visit to ease strained Turkish-Saudi ties creates win-win opportunity … writes  Burak Akinci

 Last week’s visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Saudi Arabia, during which the two regional heavyweights vowed to reset their frayed ties, will create a win-win opportunity for both nations, experts said.

This was Erdogan’s first visit to the Gulf Arab kingdom since the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 that marred the relations between the two Sunni states.

The Turkish leader was seen embracing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and discussed with him regional issues and business opportunities.

After the meetings, Erdogan said Turkey hopes to enhance all kinds of political, military and economic relations to start a “new era” with Saudi Arabia.

Turkey’s current diplomatic drive comes amid the country’s economic woes which have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, seeking to attract investments, especially those from energy-rich Gulf states.

The United Arab Emirates, with which Turkey has also taken steps to improve relations, has outlined a plan for a 10 billion U.S. dollar fund to support investments in Turkey.

“There is a general easing of tensions in the Gulf region and the Turkish-Saudi reconciliation should be seen as a part of this drive, and also as a piece of the puzzle in which Ankara is striving to reconcile itself with former regional adversaries,” Serkan Demirtas, a Turkish foreign policy analyst, told Xinhua.

Demirats pointed to Ankara’s economic motivation for pushing for a detente with Riyadh which also needs a chance to rebuild its international image after the murder of Khashoggi.

“So, putting relations back on track is beneficial for both nations and may have positive consequences for conflicts in the Middle East where they are rivals, notably in Syria,” he said.

Ahead of Erdogan’s visit, Turkey already made overtures to Saudi Arabia by first toning down its criticism over the Khashoggi case and then in April transferring the trial against 26 Saudi suspects in connection to the case from Turkey to the Gulf kingdom.

“The (Turkish) president’s visit to Saudi Arabia is a consecration of improving ties as the two countries are in sync toward a general detente in the region,” a Turkish diplomatic source told Xinhua.

“Both nations are aware of economic and political security interests involved behind their efforts for normalization,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

For Saudi Arabia, Necmettin Acar, a scholar and expert on Gulf states from Mardin Artuklu University, said security concerns dominate its efforts toward rapprochement with Turkey.

ALSO READ:Saudi’s Q1 GDP grows by 9.6%

“Currently … terrorism, conflict, instability and refugee issues are a security threat … Saudis cannot handle all those issues by themselves,” he told semi-official Anadolu Agency.

“Saudi Arabia is seeking the active support of Turkey to cope with instabilities affecting the Arab world, especially the war in Yemen where Riyadh is engaged (against Iran-backed Houthi rebels), and to act as a balancing force regarding Iran,” he said.

Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in early 2016 in protest against the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following the Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric.

The tensions between the two rivals have shown signs of improvement since they resumed direct talks on normalizing diplomatic relations in April 2021.

Previous Story

85 tombs unearthed in Egypt

Next Story

Inflation Drains Eid Spirit in Syria

Latest from Arab News

US committed great crime: Iran

Iran has now called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and demanded the IAEA Board of Governors address the situation….reports Asian Lite News Iran has strongly condemned the United

Strike Iran, Face Us, Houthis warn US

The Yemen-based Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, has been targeting Israel since November 2023…reports Asian Lite News Yemen’s Houthi group issued a stark warning on Sunday, declaring they would

Tehran Hits Back After US Strikes

The missiles struck several locations across central Israel. Notably, one hit Haifa without any prior warning sirens, raising alarm over possible gaps in the missile alert system….reports Asian Lite News Iran fired

Trump Dares Iran Again

This comes as Trump announced that America had bombed three nuclear sites in Iran and warned Tehran of further precision strikes…reports Asian Lite News US President Donald Trump declared that no other
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Hamdan performs Eid Al Fitr prayer at Zabeel Grand Mosque

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown

Yemeni Houthis kill 9 govt soldiers during ceasefire

Nine Yemeni soldiers were killed by the Houthi militia during