Erdogan to Visit Saudi Arabia in February as Rivalries Ease

(Bloomberg) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday he will visit Saudi Arabia in February, marking a turnaround in ties that hit a low following the 2018 murder of a prominent Saudi critic at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. 

Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been working for months to repair relations, part of a broader realignment that's seen regional rivals heal rifts and step back from conflicts since President Joe Biden took office. 

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Erdogan's trip to Saudi Arabia follows a visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in October and an earlier phone call with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz. The Turkish leader will also visit the United Arab Emirates, with which Turkey has also recently mended ties, drawing billions of dollars in potential investment. 

“He is waiting for me in February, he gave a promise, and I will visit Saudi Arabia in February,” Erdogan said, responding to a question on his government's efforts to increase exports to the Gulf nation.  

Under Erdogan, Turkey has been a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, a pan-Islamist political movement seen by many Arab governments as a threat to the ruling order. The split over the role of political Islam has shaped regional politics for the past decade, and helped fuel conflicts in Libya, Syria and elsewhere.

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Relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been particularly strained, however, since the grisly killing and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents. Since the pandemic, Saudi citizens have been banned from traveling to Turkey, a popular vacation destination. Turkish businessmen also complain that their goods have been blocked from import to the kingdom, under an informal “boycott” quietly enforced by the Saudi government.

Saudi Arabia supplies Turkey with oil and chemicals, while Turkey exports building materials, textiles and food products to the kingdom.

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