For the first time after the murder of Saudi Arabian government critic Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu travels to Saudi Arabia. During his two-day visit, he will meet his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
The focus should be on bilateral relations and regional issues. Çavuşoğlu is to stay in Saudi Arabia until Tuesday. Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. The case had caused tension between the two countries.
In Turkey, a trial against 26 Saudi citizens has been underway since July 2020. Saudi Arabia boycotts Turkish goods in return. There are also differences between the states over the conflicts in Libya and Syria. At the end of 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Saudi King Salman announced their intention to improve relations.
Above all, Turkey maintains good relations with the Emirate of Qatar, but has hardly any other allies in the region. The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, was also due to travel to Riyadh in the evening for talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Iran talks to arch-enemy Saudi Arabia again
The Iranian Foreign Ministry, however, announced that it had opened diplomatic talks with arch-enemy Saudi Arabia for the first time in years. “The purpose of the talks was to discuss both bilateral and regional issues,” said a spokesman for the Iranian foreign Ministry. However, it is “too early” to announce a result.
The resumption of talks, which was also confirmed by the Iraqi side, is a first important attempt to improve relations between the two countries. The tensions between the two rival states have been going on for years.
