Saudi Arabia, Turkey cementing new political alliance

JEDDAH: Once chilly ties between Turkey and Saudi Arabia have improved rapidly over the past year, with an increased likelihood that the two nations would spearhead a new political front to tackle terrorism and other regional challenges, according to experts and officials from both countries.

A source close to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed to Daily Sabah newspaper that a week ahead of the death of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah he was intending to visit the king, who was unhappy with Turkey’s stance toward the new Egyptian regime.
Following the announcement of the death of King Abdullah, Erdogan participated in the funeral, and held a “brotherly summit” with King Salman. Relations between the countries continued to improve, especially with Turkey’s support for Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen and initiatives in Syria. Ankara had also condemned Iran for interfering in Arab states.
According to a poll by the Turkish Post, 93 percent of 9,000 respondents saw a Turkish-Arab alliance to fight foreign aggressors as “useful” for the stability of the region. Commenting on the findings, a Turkish politician said an alliance between the two nations was crucial for peace and stability in the region.
This was especially so if the Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation were unable to influence events. It was also needed to counter Iran, and confront Israel over its continued expansion of illegal settlements and frequent attacks on Al-Aqsa mosque, he said.
He said Turkey and Saudi Arabia were well placed to spearhead such an alliance, “which would be joined by other countries that want the best for Arab and Muslims nations, and a more unified entity along the lines of the European Union.”
Al-Mesbar Studies and Research Center, which recently dedicated an entire publication to Turkey, concluded that the emergence of a stronger “Saudi-Turkey alliance has been on the rise since the reign of King Salman.”
This has seen the Kingdom recently announcing that it would translate all Friday sermons at the two holy mosques into Turkish, for the first time since the establishment of the Saudi state, the publication stated.