Saudi Arabia and Turkey sign investment and defense agreements during Erdogan visit

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed cooperation agreements in investment and defense, notably including the purchase of Turkish drones by the Kingdom, following official talks held on Monday in Jeddah, as reported by the official media on Tuesday morning.

Bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the Kingdom, welcomed Erdogan at the Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on the Red Sea coast, at the start of Erdogan's regional tour, which includes Qatar and the UAE.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that the two leaders held "an official session of talks and a bilateral meeting," during which they "reviewed the aspects of bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and the prospects for joint cooperation and development opportunities in various fields."

The two sides discussed "regional and international developments and the efforts made towards them."

This is Erdogan's second visit to Saudi Arabia since the reconciliation between the two countries in April 2022, following the issue of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his country's consulate in Istanbul in 2018, which caused a rift between the two regional powers.

According to SPA, the two parties signed three memorandums of cooperation in the energy, direct investment, and media fields, along with an executive plan for cooperation in capacities, defense industries, research, and development. Additionally, they signed two contracts with Baykar Technologies, a Turkish company specializing in defense and aviation industries, particularly drones.

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman tweeted on Tuesday morning that he had signed "two acquisition contracts between the Ministry of Defense and the Turkish company Baykar Defense Industries, through which the Ministry of Defense will acquire drones, with the aim of raising the readiness of the armed forces and enhancing the Kingdom's defense and manufacturing capabilities."

The minister did not specify the number or type of drones Saudi Arabia would acquire under this deal or the delivery date.

An Arab diplomat in Riyadh informed AFP that "Saudi Arabia was interested in purchasing Turkish drones, specifically the TB2 model."

The "TB2" model of the Bayraktar drone, produced by Baykar (in which the Turkish president's son-in-law holds a stake), has proven its effectiveness in Libya, Azerbaijan, and later in Ukraine, where it was used since the start of the Russian invasion last year.

Last month, Kuwait bolstered its army's defense capabilities by purchasing TB2 Bayraktar Turkish drones in a deal valued at $367 million.

After arriving in Jeddah on Monday evening, Erdogan, who was re-elected for a third term after a rerun of the elections in May, participated in the Saudi-Turkish Business Forum.

During the forum, nine agreements were signed in the real estate, technology, media, and human capital sectors, according to "Al-Ekhbariya" channel.

During his three-day Gulf tour, Erdogan seeks to secure financial flows to revive his country's economy, which is suffering from significant inflation and currency collapse.

Before departing Istanbul on Monday, Erdogan stated, "During our visits, our main agenda will be joint investment and business activities with these countries in the coming period."



AF