Saudi Arabie–Turkey relations

Saudi Arabie and Turkey enjoy a friendly an strang economic relationship, but hae a tense an unstable diplomatic an political relationship. Saudi Arabie haes an embassy in Ankara an a consulate–general in Istanbul, an Turkey haes an embassy in Riyadh an a consulate–general in Jeddah. Baith kintras are members o the Warld Tred Organisation an the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Accordin tae a 2013 Pew global opinion poll, 26% o Turks express a favourable view o Saudi Arabie while 53% express an unfavourable view.

History

The Hashimite rulers o the Hejaz pledged allegiance tae the Ottoman Sultan in 1517 following the Ottoman conquest o Egyp, placing the haly ceeties o Mecca and Medina unner Ottoman Protection until the Arab revolt in 1916 when Sharif Hussayn of Mecca expelled them with the aid of Britain. Awso, the Ottomans haed conflicts wi Hoose o Saud, the first Saudi state which resultit tae the Ottoman–Wahhabi war.

Modern history

Relations atween Turkey an Saudi Arabie bygane in 1932, efter the creaution o the new Kinrick o Saudi Arabie.

In October 2014, Saudi Arabie successfully campaigned against a Turkis bid for non-permanent membership o the Unitit Nations Security Cooncil, due tae Saudi opposeetion tae the Turkis stance on the Muslim Britherheid.

Due to the 2017 Qatar diplomatic creesis, the relationship atween Turkey an Saudi Arabie faces problems, wi Turkey supportin Qatar against Saudi Arabie in the ongangin diplomatic dispute.

World Pensions Council's M. Nicolas J. Firzli haes argued that the Turkis government haes sought tae uise the cresis tae its awn advantage, bi advancin an expansionist Neo-Ottoman agenda at the expense o the Gulf Cooperation Cooncil:

Turkey and a resurgent Iran for thair pairt are cynically uisin the festerin creesis tae advance a distinct agenda: rebiggin militar an economic beachheids alang the ‘eastren flank’ o the Arabian Peninsula frae Oman tae Soothren Iraq, a pairt o the warld frae which thay wur forced out bi the Ryal Navy in 1917, precisely ane hundred years ago. The local chess buird is gettin croudit qu too mony avid players, at a time when mont Breetish an American policy makers seem tae have lost interest in that pairt o the warld: this doesn’t bode well for the lang-term stabeelirt o the MENA.

Saudi Arabie, in response, haes threatened tae impose sanctions against Turkey, an haes conductit discussions wi the UAE on the topic o curbing “Turkis expansionist policy”. In turn, Turkis Preses Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused Saudi Arabie o being non-Islamic an heretics. Furthermore, Turkey haes deployed truips tae defend the govrenment o Qatar frae an attemptit coup bi Saudi Arabie an the UAE.

On 1 Mairch 2018, Saudi Arabie's MBC channels stopped broadcastin Turkis soap operas dubbed in Arabic tae achieve the heichest Arab interest.

In Mairch 2018, Saudi Croun Prince Mohammad bin Salman referred tae Turkey as pairt of a "triangle o evil" alangside Iran an Muslim Britherheid.

In August 2018, Turkey backed Saudi Arabie in its dispute wi Canadae, rejectin the Canadian actions as a "form o interference in ither kintras’ internal affairs".

On 2 October 2018, Saudi journalist an The Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi wis killt in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. It haes been widely alleged that he wiss killt bi the Saudi govrenment, includin bi Erdogan, awtho he haes refrained frae criticisin Saudi Arabie directly an haes instead suggestit the blame lies wi Croun Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Efter the incident, Prince Mohammad rejectit the concept of a rift wi Turkey, stating, "Mony are tryin tae … drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and Turkey. … Thay will nae be able tae do it as lang as thair is a Keeng Salman, a Mohammad bin Salman an a Preses Erdogan."

Awmaist a month efter Khashoggi’s daith, Erdogan directly accused the Saudi govrenment o murdering the journalist. Erdogan said, "We know that the order tae kill Khashoggi came frae the heichest levels o the Saudi govrenment." He an aw said that "the puppet masters behind Khashoggi's killin" waud be exposed. Yasin Aktay, a top Turkis offeecial and adviser tae Erdogan believes Khashoggi’s body wis dissolved in acid efter bein dismembered. He said, "The reason thay dismembered Khashoggi's body wis tae dissolve his remains muir easily. Now we see that thay did nae anelie dismember his body but awso vaporised it.”

The movie Kinricks o Fire, aired by MBC in 2019, wis pairtially financed bi Saudi Arabie, further exacerbatit bi the portrayal o the Ottoman Turks as violent, ruthless an unceevilised fowk. This haed drawn criticism in Turkey.

The 2020 Baghdad Internaitional Airport airstrike, where Iranian general Qasem Soleimani wis assassinatit bi the Unitit States, haed revealed the complicatit nature o the relationship atween Saudi Arabie an Turkey, wi baith kintras appruived, in secret, the airstrike with hope tae remuive a grave threat frae Iran tae baith countries' ambeetions in the Middle East.

In February 2020, Saudi Foreign Meenister Adel al-Jubeir accused Turkey o financin an sponsorin the "extremist militias" in Somalie, Libie an Sirie, Saudi Arabie awso muived tae block aw Turkis wabsteids in Saudi Arabie. In response, Ankara annoonced it waud block aw Saudi an Emirati wabsteuds in the kintra.

Embassies

The Embassy o Saudi Arabie is locatit in Ankara, Turkey. The Embassy o Turkey is locatit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabie.

Freemit airtins

• Embassy of Turkey in Riyadh
• Consulate–General of Turkey in Jeddah
• Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Ankara