The Turkish president will also raise displeasure at Riyadh’s joint air exercises with his longtime rival Greece.
Saudi Arabia is trying to buy armed drones from Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday, in a move that could mark a rapprochement between the two rival regional powers.
Tensions between Ankara and Riyadh have been under pressure since the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Trade has fallen under an informal Saudi boycott, but both countries have said work them to improve relationships.
But speaking at a press conference, Erdogan also expressed his displeasure at the kingdom’s decision to conduct air exercises with its long-rival rival Greece, which ‘suggested that agreement on drones was dependent on Riyadh’ s future behavior.
“Saudi Arabia has organized exercises together with Greece,” Erdogan said.
“But at the same time, Saudi Arabia wants armed drones. We hope to resolve this issue calmly without heating up. “
Turkey has emerged as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of armed drones, which helped Azerbaijan’s ally reap huge gains in a six-week war with Armenia last year over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Turkish drones have been deployed to the conflict in Syria and Libya.
Riyadh already has a technology transfer agreement with the Turkish private vestel company that will allow Saudi Arabia to make their own military drones.
But there is widespread profiteering and it is also seeking the delivery of a weapon that could revolve around an arms embargo imposed by some Western countries on their military campaign in Yemen.
Wider strategy
Turkey’s hopes for easing tensions with Saudi Arabia are part of a broader regional effort. Ankara has reiterated that it also sees prospects for developing relations with Egypt, with pressure from the Egyptian army opposing Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi, who was close to Erdogan, in in 2013.
Erdogan and his foreign minister said last week that Turkey has resumed diplomatic talks with Egypt and wants more cooperation. Cairo said Turkey’s actions must show “alignment with Egyptian principles” in order to normalize relations.
The two countries regain competitive sides in the Libyan conflict and in the Mediterranean. Egypt signed a maritime agreement with Greece which angered Turkey.
Erdogan said that the recent steps taken by Cairo in the region were “a manifestation of a temporary error”, but that he believed that the Egyptian people would not oppose Turkey’s position in the Mediterranean.