Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said that an agreement has been reached regarding the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia to Turkey in the coming days.
However, it is not yet clear when Muhammad bin Salman's visit will take place.
Ceausescu told Turkish state media that "Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Turkey is actually scheduled for this month."
He said he was in talks with the Saudi foreign minister to set a date for the Crown Prince's visit.
He added that Turkey was working to normalize strained relations with Saudi Arabia.
Relations between the two countries soured in 2018 when armed Saudi spies assassinated journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul.
Relations recently began to soften when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia in late April.
It was thought that Saudi Arabia's top leadership would also visit Turkey after the visit.
Sources say that when President Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia, he invited Muhammad bin Salman to visit Turkey and both sides were working on it.
 |
| Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to visit Turkey |
A Turkish official told the Daily Sabah website that the talks would focus on bilateral trade, regional development and possible currency exchange, as well as energy projects and other investment issues.
On the other hand, normalization of relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia is said to be a matter of time and compulsion because it requires both.
After the assassination of Khashoggi, tensions between the two countries affected trade.
Bilateral trade between the two countries has dropped to ارب 5 billion. At the same time, the Turkish economy has suffered a lot in recent days.
Erdogan wants to improve relations with Saudi Arabia in order to maintain a declining economy and political grip.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabia also sees its interest in it.
He wants to restore the image of his regional power by improving relations with Turkey. Saudi Arabia wants to increase its investment through it, as it has also declined significantly in recent days.
Some experts believe that Saudi Arabia wants to increase pressure on its regional rival Iran by improving relations with Turkey in order to establish a new balance of power in the region.
Sources said that besides Turkey, Mohammed bin Salman will visit Greece, Cyprus, Jordan and Egypt.
During the visit, they will sign important agreements on regional and international issues, as well as energy and trade.
This will be Muhammad bin Salman's first visit outside the region since the epidemic of Kodak 19 and the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.
In 2019, he visited Japan for the G20 summit.
 |
| Tensions between Turkey and Saudi Arabia appear to be easing |
Why is there tension in relationships?
Although relations between the two countries have been strained since 2018, animosity between Saudi Arabia and Turkey has existed in the Middle East since the time of the Ottoman Empire.
Turkey and Saudi Arabia are both Sunni Muslim-majority countries, but there is competition between the two countries for leadership in the Muslim world.
Erdogan's support for the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups has led to tensions with Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia.
Erdogan took power in Turkey in 2014 and King Salman ascended the throne of Saudi Arabia in 2015.
Subsequently, the Strategic Cooperation Council was formed in both countries. But then during the 2017 Gulf crisis, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed ties with Qatar and imposed a number of sanctions.
But Erdogan called the secession of Qatar dependent on imports inhumane and against Islamic values.
Tensions between Turkey and Saudi Arabia have risen since the incident. Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia to lift sanctions on Qatar, but King Salman did not agree to lift the blockade.
 |
| Relations between the two were further strained after the death of Saudi journalist Khashoggi |
Relations between the two countries derailed in 2018 after the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the imposition of unofficial sanctions on trade with Turkey by Saudi Arabia.
Relations between the two countries improved when Turkey transferred the case of 26 Saudi suspects involved in Khashkji's assassination to Saudi Arabia.
Human rights groups have criticized Turkey's decision.
Following this decision, Erdogan's visit to Saudi Arabia was arranged and now Muhammad bin Salman is going to visit Turkey.
Erdogan visits Saudi Arabia
 |
| Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia in late April. He met with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz in a special ceremony at Salam Palace in Jeddah. |
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was also present at the ceremony. Erdogan then met with the Crown Prince and discussed various issues.
"We have said on all occasions that we value the stability and security of our friends in the Gulf as much as we value our own stability and security," he tweeted.
Before leaving for Saudi Arabia on April 28, Erdogan told the media at Ataturk Airport that his visit would mark the beginning of a "new era" in relations between the two countries.
He said that this visit would mark the beginning of a new era of cooperation between the two countries on historical, cultural and humanitarian issues.
We will work to enhance relations in the political, military, economic and cultural spheres. "
He also criticized drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, saying they "oppose terrorism in the Gulf." Saudi Arabia has blamed Iran for the attacks.
0 Comments