Saudi Arabia Signs Major Order To Buy Turkish Drones

 

Defense News: Saudi Arabia signs major order for Turkish drones 

MILAN — Saudi Arabia is set to give a boost to Turkey’s struggling economy through a major drone contract negotiated with Turkish firm Baykar, one that the company’s CEO is calling the biggest sale between the two countries in Turkish defense history. 

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan embarked last week on a Gulf tour amid an ongoing financial crisis in Turkey, with the country’s currency plunging in value and inflation skyrocketing. 

The first stop on Erdogan’s agenda was Jeddah, where he attended alongside Saudi’s ruler Mohammed bin Salman the signing of a contract between Baykar and the Saudi Ministry of Defense for the purchase of Akinci combat drones.  

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WNU Editor: What sticks out for me in this deal is that the Saudis are not buying American. 

 Saudi Arabia Signs Major Order To Buy Turkish Drones  

Turkey's Drone Powerhouse Signs Export Deal With Saudi Arabia -- Bloomberg  

Turkey, Saudi Arabia ink deal for Baykar Akinci drones as Erdogan swings through Gulf -- Breaking Defense  

Saudi Arabia signs drone deals with Turkey's Baykar -- Middle East Monitor 

Saudi Arabia buys Turkish drones during Erdogan’s visit -- Al Jazeera  

Saudi Arabia signs major deal with Turkey to acquire Baykar drones -- Al-Monitor

Saudi Crown Prince Visits Turkey In A State Visit As Countries Normalize Ties

 

The Guardian: Saudi crown prince visits Turkey as relations thaw after Khashoggi murder  

Mohammed bin Salman welcomed by President Recep Erdoğan in state visit expected to yield significant trade deals 

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in the Turkish capital Ankara with a full ceremonial welcome, the beginning of a state visit ending years of animosity between the two countries that peaked with the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. 

The Crown Prince, sometimes known as MBS, was greeted with a grand procession on horseback and a state band. 

He grinned broadly as he stood alongside the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who shook his hand with a small smile before the two leaders disappeared behind the gold doors of the presidential palace to begin one-on-one talks.  

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WNU Editor: It is always about the money .... Turkey Eyes Investment From Landmark Visit by Saudi Prince (Bloomberg). 

Saudi Crown Prince Visits Turkey In A State Visit As Countries Normalize Ties 

Saudi crown prince visits Turkey as countries normalize ties -- AP 

Saudi crown prince, Erdogan meet in Turkey with 'full normalisation' in sights -- Reuters  

Saudi crown prince makes first Turkey trip since Khashoggi murder -- DW 

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Turkey for first time since Khashoggi murder -- CNN  

Saudi Crown Prince arrives in Turkiye on official visit -- Middle East Monitor  

What's Behind Mohammed bin Salman's Turkey Visit -- Foreign Policy

Turkish President Erdogan Claims The Saudis Are Covering Up The Murder Of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in Riyadh. Reuters/Leah Millis/Pool

Al-Monitor: Turkey's Erdogan drops bombshell twist in the Khashoggi case as Trump appears to side with Saudis

* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday suggested the Saudis may have covered up a murder in their Istanbul consulate, a dramatic new twist in the case of the missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
* Investigators on Monday were allowed access to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, where Turkey has said a hit team of 15 killed and dismembered Khashoggi.
* Erdogan said investigators found surfaces newly painted over, which could indicate an attempt to conceal evidence.
* President Donald Trump on Monday said he talked to Saudi King Salman and had begun leaning toward the idea that "rogue killers," not agents of the Saudi state, killed Khashoggi.
* Saudi Arabia finds itself under increasing international pressure as it reportedly tries to piece together an alibi over Khashoggi's disappearance.

While US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was meeting with Saudi Arabia's leaders on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dropped a bombshell of a new twist in the investigation into the mysterious disappearance of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

According to Erdogan, Turkish investigators who searched the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul found surfaces there newly painted over.

Previous news reports have cited Turkish officials suggesting that a hit team of 15 Saudis killed and dismembered Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, inside the consulate.

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WNU Editor: Turkish President Erdogan is going to milk this as much as he can .... even though his record on treating journalists is as bad as the Saudis.

Saudi King Salman Calls Turkish President Over Journalist Khashoggi's Disappearance

King Salman and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Reuters

CNN: Saudi Arabian King calls Turkish President over journalist Khashoggi's disappearance

Saudi Arabia's King Salman spoke Sunday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Saudi and Turkish media reported.

The Saudi Press Agency and the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu reported the countries are considering establishing a "working group" to discuss the Khashoggi case.

The working group, which does not yet have an official date, comes amid intense international pressure on Saudi Arabia.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post and Saudi royal insider-turned-critic, went missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain paperwork that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancée.

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WNU Editor: The Saudi King called Turkish President Erdogan .... a conversation that I am sure was something that the King did not want to do. But it appears to have worked. Turkish media is already backtracking their reporting on this case .... Turkish police uncover blatant media inaccuracy in Khashoggi, says expert (Al Arabiya). My gut tells me that a deal was made in this telephone call, and the fix is now in to bury this story by saying that a joint Saudi-Turkish investigation is underway .... and no one is going to talk about the case until it is finished. And when will that happen .... long in the future probably when no one cares about the story anymore.

More News On Saudi King Salman Calling Turkish President Over Journalist Khashoggi's Disappearance

Saudi King Salman calls Turkish President -- Arabiya
Erdogan, Saudi King discuss Khashoggi case over phone -- Anadolu Agency
Saudi King Salman thanks Erdoğan for joint working group on Khashoggi -- Daily Sabah
King calls Erdogan, thanks him for forming joint investigation team -- Saudi Gazette
Saudi King, Erdogan speak in wake of journalist's dissapearance -- Arutz Sheva
King Salman thanks Erdogan for welcoming the proposal to form a joint team in the Khashoggi case -- Arab News

The Disappearace Of Saudi Dissident Jamal Khashoggi Deepens The Rift Between Saudi Arabia And Turkey

Bloomberg: Saudi Critic's Disappearance Deepens Major Middle East Rifts

Allegations that Saudi agents flew into Turkey and murdered one of the kingdom’s leading critics would have sent shock waves through bilateral relations at any point.

But with the two countries already on opposite sides of some of the Middle East’s defining rifts, the accusations -- voiced in off-record briefings by Turkish officials and vehemently denied by Saudi rulers -- are potentially even more explosive. Each chilling leak about the possible fate of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and the resultant international condemnation, makes a behind-the-scenes compromise that much harder.

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WNU Editor: Turkish - Saudi relations have not been friendly for the past two years. Turkey's support of Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood coupled with its opposition to Saudi Arabia's policy to moderate Islam has earned Turkish President Erdogan no friends in the Saudi Kingdom .... and vice versa. The disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi is only going t make it worse.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan: Saudis Must Prove Missing Journalist Left Istanbul Consulate

Officials leave Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

Reuters: Turkey's Erdogan tells Saudis to prove missing journalist left Istanbul consulate

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday called on Riyadh to prove its claim that Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing since last week, left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The disappearance of Khashoggi, previously a prominent newspaper editor in Saudi Arabia and an adviser to its former head of intelligence, has sparked global concern, particularly after Turkish sources said over the weekend that authorities believed he was killed inside the consulate.

Khashoggi left Saudi Arabia last year, saying he feared retribution for his criticism of Saudi policy in the Yemen war and its crackdown on dissent. He entered the consulate in Istanbul last Tuesday to get documents for his forthcoming marriage. Saudi officials say he left shortly afterwards but his fiancee, who was waiting outside, said he never appeared.

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WNU Editor: I am sure there are cameras at this Saudi consulate that record and monitor everything. It is very simple for the Saudis to release the video of Jamal Khashoggi coming in, and Jamal Khashoggi going out. But I am willing to bet that they are not going to take up Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to prove that they are innocent.

More News On Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's Call To The Saudis That They Must Prove Missing Journalist Left The Istanbul Consulate

Saudi Arabia must prove its claim about Khashoggi, Turkey's President Erdoğan says -- Hurriyet Daily News
Turkey's President: Saudis should prove missing journalist left consulate -- CNN
Turkey's Erdogan Says Saudis Must Prove Journalist Left Consulate -- RFE
Erdogan: Saudi officials must prove Khashoggi left consulate -- Al Jazeera
Erdogan: Saudi Arabia must prove that Jamal Khashoggi is still alive -- Middle East Eye

Relations Between Turkey And Saudi Arabia Continue To Deteriorate

Saudi King Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (SPA)

VOA: Turkey’s Love Affair with Saudi Arabia On the Rocks

ISTANBUL — A deal signed by Turkish and Iranian ministers Sunday to enhance efforts to break Saudi Arabian trade sanctions against Qatar, is only the latest move by Ankara against Riyadh. The two once close allies are increasingly finding themselves on opposing sides in the region.

“There is this fear [by Turkey] an axis is developing between Saudi Arabia, [the United States], and Israel in the region definitely,” said Haldun Solmazturk, head of 21st Century Turkey Institute, an Ankara based research organization.

Saudi Arabia's increasingly tough stance against Iran has been matched by Turkey's increasing cooperation with Iran.

Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared the frequency of meetings with his Russian and Iranian counterparts to cooperate over Syria would increase.

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WNU Editor: Relations between Turkey and the Arabs .... especially from a historical perspective ... has always had its ups and downs. This is now a "down period", and one that will probably continue to deteriorate as long as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia's current leadership remain in power.

Saudi Arabia And Turkey Have Agree To Sypport Syria's Rebels In Their War Against President Bashar al-Assad

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, stands with Saudi King Salman. SPA

IBTimes: Syria: Saudi-Turkish alliance backs 'Conquest Army' rebels to defeat Bashar al-Assad

Turkish officials have confirmed that Ankara has signed a pact with Saudi Arabia to help rebels fighting against embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The unusual, strategic alliance will provide "logistical and financial support" to the constellation of anti-Assad groups fighting on the ground, according to AP.

Earlier in April, the Huffington Post reported on high-level talks, brokered by Qatar, to form a military alliance to oust Assad. According to the report, Turkey would provide ground troops supported by Saudi Arabian air strikes, to assist moderate Syrian opposition against the regime forces. The US has so far refused to provide air cover to Turkish troops.

The alliance between two traditionally rival countries follows a general reconsideration of Saudi strategy in the region.

Update: Turkey confirms pact with Saudi to help anti-Assad rebels -- AP

WNU Editor: This is a significant agreement. ... and a clear sign that Saudi King Salman is following a different course from his predecessor.  And while I am not sure on the exact details of this "pact" .... I suspect that it is going to have an impact not only on the battlefield, but also on Iranian/Hezbollah calculations on how to defend Assad and his power base in Syria. Bottom line .... in the months to come expect the Syrian civil war to intensify.