Enlarge image
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: Meeting with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani - and archenemy Iran
Photo: BANDAR AL-JALOUD / AFP
For the first time after the murder of the Saudi government critic Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu is traveling to Saudi Arabia.
During his two-day visit, he will meet his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, said the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
It should be about bilateral relations and regional issues.
Çavuşoğlu is due to stay in Saudi Arabia until Tuesday.
Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
The case had created tension between the two countries.
A trial against 26 Saudi citizens has been ongoing in Turkey since July 2020.
In return, Saudi Arabia is boycotting Turkish goods.
There are also differences between the states over the conflicts in Libya and Syria.
At the end of 2020, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Saudi King Salman announced that they wanted to improve relations.
Turkey maintains good relations with the emirate of Qatar, but otherwise has few allies in the region.
The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, was also due to travel to Riyadh that evening to meet with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Iran is talking to archenemy Saudi Arabia again
The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that it had entered into diplomatic talks with archenemy Saudi Arabia for the first time in years.
"The purpose of the talks was to discuss both bilateral and regional issues," said a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
However, it is "too early" to announce a result.
Iran is ready for talks at any time, stressed the spokesman.
A de-escalation of the conflicts and the development of relations are "advantageous" for both states.
Previously there had already been reports of secret talks between Iranian and Saudi Arabian representatives.
The resumption of talks, which was also confirmed by the Iraqi side, is a first important attempt to improve relations between the two countries.
The tensions between the two rival states have been going on for years.
fek / dpa / Reuters