The Saudi crown prince was anticipated in Turkey on Wednesday for his first go to since Saudi brokers murdered the outstanding dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018, driving a deep rift between the 2 regional powers.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto chief of the oil-rich kingdom, was scheduled to fulfill President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on the presidential palace in Ankara in what can be a symbolic mending of the fences between two Center Jap heavyweights, whose rivalry has performed out over the previous years throughout conflicts from Libya and Egypt to the Persian Gulf.
Crippled by hovering inflation at dwelling, Mr. Erdogan has been courting regional leaders for assist to bolster the Turkish financial system earlier than presidential elections subsequent 12 months.
In confirming the high-level go to final week, Mr. Erdogan mentioned he hoped his one-on-one assembly with Prince Mohammed would current a chance to take relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia to the next degree.
The rapprochement follows related strikes by different international locations to rebuild ties with Saudi Arabia, which drew international outrage over Mr. Khashoggi’s killing and dismemberment contained in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018.
Prince Mohammed, 36, has denied having any oversight or foreknowledge of the operation to homicide or seize Mr. Khashoggi. However a 2018 evaluation by the Central Intelligence Company concluded that he had accredited the operation that killed Mr. Khashoggi, a Washington Put up columnist and outspoken critic of Saudi Arabia.
The homicide swiftly ruptured ties between the 2 international locations.
Turkey angered Saudi Arabia by instantly opening a vigorous investigation into the killing and humiliating Prince Mohammed by briefing worldwide information media on lurid particulars of the homicide, dripping them out slowly over time to rising outrage across the globe. Mr. Erdogan mentioned the order to dismember Mr. Khashoggi got here from the “highest ranges” of the Saudi authorities, however prevented accusing the prince instantly.
