DUBAI: The killing of columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul sent an already strained and volatile relationship between the two. turkey And Saudi Arab in complete free fall.
Fast-forward 3 1/2 years later and it appears that Turkey and Saudi Arabia are attempting to build a bridge and move on.
In his first visit to Saudi Arabia in five years, Turkish President Risp Tayip Erdogan hugged Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and sipped traditional Arabic coffee with King Salman before the state dinner and had live conversations in the early hours of Friday.
Here’s a look at the synergy between the two Sunni Muslim powerhouses:
What is behind Turkey’s diplomatic axis?
Turkey’s diplomatic campaign coincides with the country’s worst economic crisis in two decades. Having rich Gulf Arab states as allies can help attract investment. Turkey has also taken steps to improve relations with Egypt and Israel.
After improving relations with the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi announced a $10 billion fund to support investments in Turkey and other steps to support the economy.
Official inflation stands at 61%, while the lira fell 44% against the dollar last year. These figures do not bode well for Erdogan, whose grip on power could be jeopardized by the country’s economic crisis. Elections are due in Turkey next year.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is enjoying a bumper economic year with its foreign reserves expected to climb. Higher energy prices are expected to generate more than $400 billion in revenue for the state this year. In other words, Saudi Arabia has the capital to invest in Turkey.
What’s in it for Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia’s change of heart comes as the kingdom seeks to expand its alliances at a time when relations between Riyadh and Washington are strained.
The Crown Prince has yet to have a direct call with the President Joe Biden Since he assumed office more than a year ago. Several lawmakers in Biden’s Democratic Party have openly called on him to be even tougher with Saudi Arabia, calling the kingdom a bad strategic partner as it sticks to an OPEC-led deal with Russia, which critics have criticized. To say that the oil supply has deteriorated amid the crisis. War in Ukraine.
Reconciliation time also makes more sense now. Saudi Arabia ended a year-long ban on Qatar for supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic opposition groups. Although relations between Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been restored, they are yet to be settled with Qatar’s steadfast ally Turkey.
Arguably, the strongest impetus for reconciliation is that the Crown Prince seeks a definitive end to the Khashoggi assassination scandal that is looming large over him and damaging his reputation.
Big-name Western investors and politicians stayed away from Riyadh after the assassination, although some have since returned to the kingdom to do business again.
Khashoggi was writing a column in the Washington Post praising the crown prince’s social reforms, expressing concern over the far-reaching arrest of alleged critics. The Post’s billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, later launched an investigation, concluding that his phone had been hacked after receiving a message from the Crown Prince, though many questions remain unanswered.
How was Turkey pressuring the Crown Prince?
Turkish officials fueled global outrage and suspicion directed at Prince Mohammed. Turkey shared audio of the gruesome killing with Western intelligence agencies, a sign the Saudi consulate where he was killed had been spoofed. American intelligence later concluded that the operation could not have taken place without Prince’s permission. Prince Mohammed has denied any involvement.
Not taking the name of Prince Mohammed, Erdogan said the operation that killed Khashoggi was ordered by the “highest levels” of the Saudi government. Khashoggi entered the consulate in October 2018 by appointment to obtain papers allowing him to marry his Turkish fiancée, who was waiting for him outside. He never emerged and his body was never found.
Turkey had a case open in absentia against 26 Saudi suspects, but three weeks before Erdogan landed in Saudi Arabia, Turkish prosecutors pulled the plug by transferring the case to the kingdom it already had. Widely criticized test. None of the officers overseeing the operation were ever convicted.
What happened when the relationship was strained?
Saudi Arabia launched an informal ban on Turkish exports, dramatically curbing nearly $5 billion in bilateral trade. The state also temporarily barred the wildly popular Turkish soap operas, dubbed in Arabic, from airing on affiliated satellite television stations. Those soap operas helped promote Turkey’s cultural clout throughout the Middle East and attracted tourism and investment in Turkey from audiences.
Before Khashoggi’s assassination, Saudi investments had reached approximately $2 billion and Turkish investments in Saudi Arabia were valued at approximately $660 million. According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, more than 200 Turkish companies were operating in the country. A year before the assassination, Saudi citizens had purchased more than 3,500 properties in Turkey.
Now what are the wider implications of this?
After years of turmoil across the region, the Muslim Brotherhood group has been largely crushed by authoritarian states. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are once again most concerned with Iran moving toward a nuclear deal with the US that could lift major sanctions.
Turkey and Iran, while not rivals, have competed for power in Syria and Iraq, although they maintain economic ties and share a border. Turkey’s close ties with Gulf Arab countries may increase pressure on Iran.
A detente could also defuse tensions in Libya, where proxy wars have erupted between the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. It could usher in a more pragmatic foreign policy approach by Gulf Arab states and help reduce Turkey’s diplomatic isolation from some Western countries.
Still, there is almost certain to be distrust between Prince Mohammed and Erdogan beneath the surface.
Fast-forward 3 1/2 years later and it appears that Turkey and Saudi Arabia are attempting to build a bridge and move on.
In his first visit to Saudi Arabia in five years, Turkish President Risp Tayip Erdogan hugged Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and sipped traditional Arabic coffee with King Salman before the state dinner and had live conversations in the early hours of Friday.
Here’s a look at the synergy between the two Sunni Muslim powerhouses:
What is behind Turkey’s diplomatic axis?
Turkey’s diplomatic campaign coincides with the country’s worst economic crisis in two decades. Having rich Gulf Arab states as allies can help attract investment. Turkey has also taken steps to improve relations with Egypt and Israel.
After improving relations with the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi announced a $10 billion fund to support investments in Turkey and other steps to support the economy.
Official inflation stands at 61%, while the lira fell 44% against the dollar last year. These figures do not bode well for Erdogan, whose grip on power could be jeopardized by the country’s economic crisis. Elections are due in Turkey next year.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is enjoying a bumper economic year with its foreign reserves expected to climb. Higher energy prices are expected to generate more than $400 billion in revenue for the state this year. In other words, Saudi Arabia has the capital to invest in Turkey.
What’s in it for Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia’s change of heart comes as the kingdom seeks to expand its alliances at a time when relations between Riyadh and Washington are strained.
The Crown Prince has yet to have a direct call with the President Joe Biden Since he assumed office more than a year ago. Several lawmakers in Biden’s Democratic Party have openly called on him to be even tougher with Saudi Arabia, calling the kingdom a bad strategic partner as it sticks to an OPEC-led deal with Russia, which critics have criticized. To say that the oil supply has deteriorated amid the crisis. War in Ukraine.
Reconciliation time also makes more sense now. Saudi Arabia ended a year-long ban on Qatar for supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic opposition groups. Although relations between Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been restored, they are yet to be settled with Qatar’s steadfast ally Turkey.
Arguably, the strongest impetus for reconciliation is that the Crown Prince seeks a definitive end to the Khashoggi assassination scandal that is looming large over him and damaging his reputation.
Big-name Western investors and politicians stayed away from Riyadh after the assassination, although some have since returned to the kingdom to do business again.
Khashoggi was writing a column in the Washington Post praising the crown prince’s social reforms, expressing concern over the far-reaching arrest of alleged critics. The Post’s billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, later launched an investigation, concluding that his phone had been hacked after receiving a message from the Crown Prince, though many questions remain unanswered.
How was Turkey pressuring the Crown Prince?
Turkish officials fueled global outrage and suspicion directed at Prince Mohammed. Turkey shared audio of the gruesome killing with Western intelligence agencies, a sign the Saudi consulate where he was killed had been spoofed. American intelligence later concluded that the operation could not have taken place without Prince’s permission. Prince Mohammed has denied any involvement.
Not taking the name of Prince Mohammed, Erdogan said the operation that killed Khashoggi was ordered by the “highest levels” of the Saudi government. Khashoggi entered the consulate in October 2018 by appointment to obtain papers allowing him to marry his Turkish fiancée, who was waiting for him outside. He never emerged and his body was never found.
Turkey had a case open in absentia against 26 Saudi suspects, but three weeks before Erdogan landed in Saudi Arabia, Turkish prosecutors pulled the plug by transferring the case to the kingdom it already had. Widely criticized test. None of the officers overseeing the operation were ever convicted.
What happened when the relationship was strained?
Saudi Arabia launched an informal ban on Turkish exports, dramatically curbing nearly $5 billion in bilateral trade. The state also temporarily barred the wildly popular Turkish soap operas, dubbed in Arabic, from airing on affiliated satellite television stations. Those soap operas helped promote Turkey’s cultural clout throughout the Middle East and attracted tourism and investment in Turkey from audiences.
Before Khashoggi’s assassination, Saudi investments had reached approximately $2 billion and Turkish investments in Saudi Arabia were valued at approximately $660 million. According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, more than 200 Turkish companies were operating in the country. A year before the assassination, Saudi citizens had purchased more than 3,500 properties in Turkey.
Now what are the wider implications of this?
After years of turmoil across the region, the Muslim Brotherhood group has been largely crushed by authoritarian states. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are once again most concerned with Iran moving toward a nuclear deal with the US that could lift major sanctions.
Turkey and Iran, while not rivals, have competed for power in Syria and Iraq, although they maintain economic ties and share a border. Turkey’s close ties with Gulf Arab countries may increase pressure on Iran.
A detente could also defuse tensions in Libya, where proxy wars have erupted between the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. It could usher in a more pragmatic foreign policy approach by Gulf Arab states and help reduce Turkey’s diplomatic isolation from some Western countries.
Still, there is almost certain to be distrust between Prince Mohammed and Erdogan beneath the surface.