Skip to main content

Turkey's Erdogan strikes drone deal with Saudi Arabia on Gulf tour

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan kicked off a Gulf tour seeking to attract foreign investment
— Doha (AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Doha Tuesday, the second leg of a Gulf tour after a stop in Saudi Arabia where he clinched a deal to provide drones to the kingdom.

Erdogan, who won another five-year term in May elections, is seeking support for Turkey's faltering economy.

The Turkish leader arrived Tuesday evening alongside his wife Emine Erdogan in the capital of key ally Qatar ahead of a meeting with Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, according to Qatari state media.

His Saudi stop earlier saw the signing of several contracts, including the drone deal with the privately-owned Baykar, during a meeting between Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Red Sea port of Jeddah on Monday, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of the drone manufacturer which is co-run by one of Erdogan's sons-in-laws, in a tweet called the deal "the biggest defence and aviation export contract in the history of the Turkish Republic".

The value of the deal has not been made public.

After attending a Saudi-Turkish business forum in Jeddah on Monday, Erdogan and Prince Mohammed discussed "prospects for joint cooperation" in their meeting, SPA reported.

The two leaders signed cooperation agreements in the fields of energy, direct investment, defence and media, the report said.

It added that Saudi officials also signed "two contracts with the Turkish company Baykar".

Drones developed by Baykar have been used in Azerbaijan, Libya and Ukraine.

Saudi Arabia "will acquire drones with the aim of enhancing the readiness of the kingdom's armed forces and bolstering its defence and manufacturing capabilities", Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said on Tuesday.

- Riyadh rapprochement -

He did not specify the type of drone the kingdom is looking to procure.

An Arab diplomat in Riyadh, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the press, said it was Baykar's TB2 model.

Last month, Kuwait said it struck a $367-million agreement to procure TB2 drones.

Qatar is the second stop of Erdogan's Gulf tour

This week's visit is Erdogan's second to Saudi Arabia since a recent rapprochement between Ankara and Riyadh, whose ties were strained by the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

Turkey angered Saudi Arabia by vigorously pursuing the case at the time, opening an investigation and briefing international media on the gory details of the killing.

But with ties on the mend, Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia in April 2022, and Prince Mohammed travelled to Turkey in June last year.

Erdogan's current Gulf trip comes as Turkey battles a currency collapse and soaring inflation that has battered its economy.

In March, Saudi Arabia deposited $5 billion in Turkey's central bank.

Following his stop in Qatar, Erdogan is set to travel to the United Arab Emirates, another oil-rich Gulf country with which Turkey recently mended ties.

Join hundreds of Middle East professionals with Al-Monitor PRO.

Business and policy professionals use PRO to monitor the regional economy and improve their reports, memos and presentations. Try it for free and cancel anytime.

Already a Member? Sign in

Free

The Middle East's Best Newsletters

Join over 50,000 readers who access our journalists dedicated newsletters, covering the top political, security, business and tech issues across the region each week.
Delivered straight to your inbox.

Free

What's included:
Our Expertise

Free newsletters available:

  • The Takeaway & Week in Review
  • Middle East Minute (AM)
  • Daily Briefing (PM)
  • Business & Tech Briefing
  • Security Briefing
  • Gulf Briefing
  • Israel Briefing
  • Palestine Briefing
  • Turkey Briefing
  • Iraq Briefing
Expert

Premium Membership

Join the Middle East's most notable experts for premium memos, trend reports, live video Q&A, and intimate in-person events, each detailing exclusive insights on business and geopolitical trends shaping the region.

$25.00 / month
billed annually

Become Member Start with 1-week free trial
What's included:
Our Expertise

Memos - premium analytical writing: actionable insights on markets and geopolitics.

Live Video Q&A - Hear from our top journalists and regional experts.

Special Events - Intimate in-person events with business & political VIPs.

Trend Reports - Deep dive analysis on market updates.

We also offer team plans. Please send an email to pro.support@al-monitor.com and we'll onboard your team.

Already a Member? Sign in