Saudi Arabia, Turkey Seek to Mend Ties as Crown Prince Visits Ankara
The leaders of Saudi Arabia and Turkey are turning the page on years of strained relations, exacerbated by the 2018 assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. Face-to-face dialogue is the order of the day between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ahead of bin Salman's visit to Ankara this week, Saudi Arabia ended a travel ban on Turkey, opening the door once again to tourism and investment. To understand what's at stake, we speak to researcher Dorothée Schmid from French think tank IFRI.
"The two countries are regional powers, and the quarrel between them was extremely detrimental to their national interests, on both sides", according to Dorothée Schmid. "[...] Mohammad bin Salman is trying to establish himself as the next king of Saudi Arabia, and he needs to be rehabilitated in the eyes of the international community. This regional tour that he just started is a very important episode in this regard"
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