Turkey’s Erdogan meets Saudi leaders

In his first visit after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to “develop” relations.

The Saudi state news agency SPA released photographs of Erdogan hugging Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler who US intelligence agencies say ordered the plan against Khashoggi, which Riyadh denies.

According to SPA, the two “reviewed Saudi-Turkish relations and ways to develop them in all fields.”

Turkish state media also showed a separate meeting with King Salman, the crown prince’s father.

Erdogan then travelled to Mecca, the Muslim holy city, to undertake an umrah pilgrimage.

The trip comes as Turkey, which is experiencing an economic crisis caused by the collapse of its currency and surging inflation, seeks financial assistance from energy-rich Gulf countries.

Before travelling from Istanbul to Saudi Arabia’s second city, Jeddah, where some roadways were adorned with Turkish and Saudi flags, Erdogan said he intended to “start a new era” in bilateral relations.

“We believe enhancing cooperation in areas including defence and finance is in our mutual interest,” Erdogan said.

In October 2018, Saudi operatives murdered and dismembered Khashoggi, an insider turned critic, in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate. His remains were never discovered.

The heinous crime risks alienating Saudi Arabia, particularly Prince Mohammed, while also intensifying Riyadh’s regional rivalry with Ankara.

The trip comes as Turkey, which is experiencing an economic crisis caused by the collapse of its currency and surging inflation, seeks financial assistance from energy-rich Gulf countries.

Before travelling from Istanbul to Saudi Arabia’s second city, Jeddah, where some roadways were adorned with Turkish and Saudi flags, Erdogan said he intended to “start a new era” in bilateral relations.

“We believe enhancing cooperation in areas including defence and finance is in our mutual interest,” Erdogan said.

In October 2018, Saudi operatives murdered and dismembered Khashoggi, an insider turned critic, in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate. His remains were never discovered.

The heinous crime risks alienating Saudi Arabia, particularly Prince Mohammed, while also intensifying Riyadh’s regional rivalry with Ankara.

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