Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will arrive in Saudi Arabia today. He will also hold discussions with the Crown Prince during the visit. The purpose of the visit is to warm up Saudi relations, which have long been strained.
It is reported that the Turkish President will arrive in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia tonight. The Turkish President will hold talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. Urdugan has made it clear that Turkey wants to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia. Exports from Turkey to Saudi Arabia have fallen sharply in recent years due to deteriorating bilateral relations. Turkey, which is facing a severe financial crisis, is trying to improve relations with regional countries, including the UAE.
Urdugan visited the UAE last February. Turkey has been hit hard by rising fuel prices and rising inflation following the Russia-Ukraine war. Saudi relations with Turkey have been shaken by anti-Saudi statements. It has been alleged that Saudi tourists have been repeatedly attacked in Turkey. With this, Saudi Arabia issued a warning to those going to Turkey. There were also popular campaigns in Saudi Arabia to boycott Turkish products. Many large companies and hypermarket chains boycotted Turkish products and stopped imports from Turkey. Following this, the visit of the President of Turkey is gaining international attention.