Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Saudi Arabia to start his tour of the Gulf region, aiming to attract foreign investment to boost Turkey’s struggling economy. Erdogan’s first stop was Jeddah, where he met with King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He is also scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates and Qatar later in the week. During his visit, Erdogan plans to focus on joint investment and commercial activities with these countries.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has arrived in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, first stop of his trip to the Gulf. pic.twitter.com/95RBYTEpJD
— Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications (@Communications) July 17, 2023
The visit marks Erdogan’s second trip to Saudi Arabia since their strained relations following the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Turkey took strong actions at the time, conducting an investigation and publicly disclosing the gruesome details of the killing, which angered Saudi Arabia. However, ties have improved since then, with Erdogan’s previous visit to Saudi Arabia in April 2022 and Prince Mohammed’s visit to Turkey in June last year.
The Gulf tour is seen as significant for Turkey’s foreign policy agenda, particularly after Erdogan’s recent re-election for another five-year term. Sinem Cengiz, a researcher at Qatar University, emphasized the growing interest of Gulf states in investing in various sectors in Turkey, which can help alleviate the country’s economic challenges caused by currency depreciation and high inflation. Erdogan’s visit is expected to strengthen cooperation and expand investments between Turkey and the Gulf countries.
In Doha, the ambassador of Qatar to Turkey highlighted the importance of Erdogan’s visit, stating that it would enhance collaboration between the two nations. The agenda for the visit includes discussions on expanding investments between Turkey and Qatar.
Overall, Erdogan’s Gulf tour aims to attract foreign investments and promote economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. The visits come at a crucial time for Turkey as it faces economic difficulties, and the growing interest from Gulf countries provides an opportunity for Turkey to improve its economic situation.
