By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL- On Tuesday, as part of Turkish President Erdogan’s three-day Gulf tour, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) presided at the signing ceremony of two deals between Turkiye’s drone magnate Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar who called the defense deal for the sale of drones, “the biggest defense and aviation export contract in the history of the Turkish Republic.” In a tweet on Tuesday, from Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud his country is acquiring the drones, “to enhance the readiness of the kingdom’s armed forces and bolster its defense and manufacturing capabilities,” Both Prince Khalid and Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler developed the defense cooperation plan that MBS was a signatory to.
The purpose of Erdogan’s Middle East trip is foster enhanced bilateral relations and economic cooperation. Referring to the deal, Baykar in a statement, mentioned that the deal included the export of its landmark Akinci unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), the larger version of its combat drone Bayraktar TB2. The signed accords detail technology cooperation between Turkiye and Saudi Arabia as well as joint production. Both Erdogan and the Saudi Crown Prince known as MBS, talked about future joint cooperation, according to the national Saudi news agency, SPA. Both countries signed several memorandums of understanding in diverse sectors that include energy, defense real estate and direct investments.
The Turkish leader’s visit began on what he called “high hopes” regarding investment and finance, as he told the press in a news conference prior to flying out to the Gulf states. As President Erdogan remarked: “This visit has two main topics: investments and a financial dimension. We have high hopes for both.” Erdogan’s trip is an expansion of Turkish diplomatic efforts since 2021 to mend frayed ties with Saudi Arabia and the UAE while expanding an already strong partnership with Qatar. President Erdogan travels to Doha on Tuesday to meet with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. On Wednesday, he’s scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
