After completing Umrah, Erdogan embraces the Saudi prince

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan performed Umrah on Friday, the second day of his first visit to Saudi Arabia after the assassination of journalist Jamal Kashoghi in Istanbul, following meetings with Saudi leaders aimed at resuming tense relations between the two countries. 2018.

Erdogan walked among a group of his comrades and guards in the courtyard of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, accompanied by a large number of worshipers, whose numbers increase dramatically on the last Friday of the month of Ramadan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on Thursday evening to discuss improving relations between the two countries following the assassination of a Saudi journalist.

And the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) both released embracing images that seemed to be a precursor to turning the tide of tension between the two regional powers.

Erdogan, who seeks to improve his country’s relations with regional powers amid major economic crises, met with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the start of his first visit since 2017, and then with the Crown Prince.

During the meeting between Erdogan and the young prince, the Saudi Agency reported that “Saudi-Turkish relations and opportunities for their development in various fields, recent regional and international developments and efforts made in this regard were reviewed.” .

“We will try to start a new era and strengthen all political, military, economic and cultural ties,” the Turkish president told reporters before leaving the kingdom. “I hope this trip will provide an opportunity to strengthen relations based on mutual trust.

“We believe it is in our common interest to strengthen cooperation in areas including defense and finance,” he added.

Erdogan is not expected to make any statement during the visit, according to a Turkish official who spoke to AFP anonymously.

Investments and trade

Kashogi, a journalist who wrote articles criticizing the Crown Prince, the country’s real ruler, was assassinated on October 2, 2018 at his embassy in Istanbul by the Washington Post. And cracks in relationships.

At the time, the Turkish president accused the “high levels” of the Saudi government of ordering the assassination at the hands of Saudi agents.

The CIA degree pointed the finger at the prince, but the Saudi government flatly denied any role in Prince Mohammed.

Turkey began an investigation in July 2020 against 26 Saudis suspected of involvement in Kashogi’s murder, but on April 7 it transferred the trophy to Saudi Arabia, ending the trial in Turkey.

The inquiry appeared to be the last hurdle for Erdogan’s visit, which announced his intention to leave the country earlier this year, as trade relations between the two economic powers improved.

In the state, five people were sentenced to death in connection with Kashogi’s murder, but in September 2020, a court in Riyadh handed down final verdicts in the case, imprisoning eight convicts for 20 to seven years, and commuting the death sentence to secrecy. Judicial Procedures.

Erdogan’s visit to Saudi Arabia comes at a time when Turkey is facing a severe financial crisis, which has prompted it to turn its back on its rivals and rivals, such as Egypt and Israel, especially the Saudi – led oil – rich Gulf states. In Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the Turkish economy sees a decline in its currency and a high inflation rate of over 60 percent last year.

Turkey hopes to attract new Gulf investments to move the wheel of the economy.