Erdogan in Saudi Arabia: the beginning of a new era or a political manoeuvre?
May 1, 2022, 5:28 pm

Erdogan in Saudi Arabia: the beginning of a new era or a political manoeuvre?

Zara Saleh1

A month before his current visit to Saudi Arabia, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had transferred the file of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the Turkish court withdrew the file that accused the Saudi officials of the murder of the US-Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey in 2018.

During his trip to Riyadh, the Turkish President expressed the importance of cooperation between Turkey and Saudi Arabia to "tackle the terrorism" and he said the stability and security of our brothers in the Gulf region as our own”. In contrast, Turkish President Erdogan has escalated the tension with Saudi Arabia in 2018 and he indirectly accused the Saudi leader of murdering the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. As a result, Saudi Arabia had to freeze its ties with Turkey, and also due to the Turkish support of the Muslim Brotherhood movement which has been listed as a terrorist group according to Saudi Arabia's officials.

Following his trip to Saudi Arabia simultaneously with dropping the file of Khashoggi as a step of reconciliation, the Turkish President Erdogan is seeking to improve his relations with Saudi Arabia as turkey is facing economic and political crisis at the same time. Turkey's economy is still in tense with the dramatical fall of the value of Turkish lira and inflation, and Erdogan expects Saudi Arabia could boost Turkey's economy as it has been pushed by other regional countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Israel and Qatar. Besides that, the Turkish President Erdogan who is considered as supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and a representative of the political Islamic movement, is facing parliamentary and presidential elections next year that might end his era of dictatorship in Turkey.

On the other hand, regarding the regional presence and in the Arab and Islamic world, Erdogan has failed to replace Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom of leading the Sunni and Islamic countries. By his visit, Erdogan is trying to use again the "historical moment" regarding Saudi Arabia-Iran tension due Iran's proxy sectarian wars in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. Simultaneously, for Saudi Arabia, Iran still seen as an enemy and now could be as a common enemy for both of the Sunni countries. Moreover, Riyadh is hoping that Turkey can play an important role in Yemen's war as they have a strong tie with Tehran. As a result, Turkey also can join the Saudi regional front that includes Egypt and Israel as a part of Saudi foreign strategy to find a solution with Houthis in Yemen who is backing by Iran and its Shia affiliated militias.

Despite the fact that Turkey and Saudi Arabia are both Sunni countries but their relation during Erdogan's leadership never been based on that point, they have some political differences in various aspects. Also, due to Erdogan's policy of intervention in regional countries, such relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey could be a tactical for now because of distrust from Saudi side.

BY: Zara Saleh

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”