Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Nayef is set to travel to Ankara, Turkey, this week to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in a sign Saudi Arabia is looking to cement its alliance with the NATO power.
This trip highlights the growing relationship between the two nations. Currently, seven hundred Saudi companies have more than two billion dollars worth of incentives in Turkey. By the end of the year, Turkey hopes to announce new incentives that would encourage more Saudi and Gulf businessmen and companies to invest in Turkey.
In addition to the discussion of business corporation between the two countries, officials plan to discuss the global war on terrorism. During a trip to Turkey earlier this month, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir noted that Riyadh and Ankara hold a similar stance on Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, where Saudi troops are currently aiding Sunni powers against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels that have taken over the capital, Sanaa. Al Arabiya reports that, during the latest diplomatic trip, Turkish officials “expressed … appreciation for Saudi’s support to Ankara during the joint press conference following the failed coup in Turkey when a rogue military faction tried to oust the Turkish president from power on July 15.”
Breitbart News reported this year that, in an effort to aggravate relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, Iran has been blaming the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its supposed role in the failed coup attempt in July against President Erdogan. “Regional rivals Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran, in a rare show of consensus, welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regained control after the failed military coup attempt against his government.”
In August, King Salman of Saudi Arabia met with President Erdogan in Ankara: “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the airport in Ankara on Monday, as the Saudi monarch is en route to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Istanbul later this week.”
This meeting slated for later this month shows a warming of relations between the two heads of state despite Iran’s efforts to derail the relationship.
Although the relationship is extremely strained between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and, Iran, according to Breitbart News, Iran has taken steps to repair the relationship. “Iran is actively trying to bring Turkey and Syria closer together.”
These three countries have been the center of the news cycle for many months. Iran, however, seems to know the importance of the relationship and is now making an effort to get ahead and have a foothole in the newly cemented relationship that will bring millions to Turkey and Saudi Arabia alike.