Turkish state media highlighted “new agreements on tourism, trade, construction and defense” that they said are expected to be on the agenda during the meeting.
Media in the Gulf said that the two important regional states are beginning a “new era of cooperation.” This is a big deal, after several years in which Ankara was openly anti-Saudi Arabia, it seems to be working on reconciliation.
This isn’t the first time Ankara has done this. It has also patched things up with the UAE and is talking more often with Israel. This new era is symbolized by important visits, Israel’s President has been to Turkey for instance, and the Turkish leader went to the UAE. Prior to 2021 Turkey had isolated itself in the region, making threats against Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Saudi, the UAE, Israel and other countries.
Turkey’s ruling AKP party also spent more time hosting Hamas leaders than actually conducting normal foreign policy. This was a departure from the earlier posture of “zero problems” in which Turkey sought to be a regional leader. Ankara became more extreme and backed extremists in Syria, including ethnic cleansing of minorities. READ MORE
