Turkey's Erdoğan heading to Saudi Arabia to try to repair relationsApril 28, 2022 - 12:29 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to visit Saudi Arabia Thursday, April 28 in an attempt to repair the strained relations between the countries, Turkish media reported. The visit will be the first major breakthrough since Turkey and Saudi Arabia's relations broke down over the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Axios says. The Turkish government exposed the Khashoggi murder and published the intelligence it had on the Saudi government’s involvement. Erdoğan claimed the order to kill Khashoggi "came from the highest levels of the Saudi government," but he stressed King Salman wasn’t involved. A Turkish official has reportedly said Erdoğan is expected to visit Saudi Arabia in the coming days but declined to confirm the exact date. No official announcement was released by the Turkish or Saudi governments. Erdoğan is expected to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, per the Turkish press. A Turkish court earlier this month stopped the legal proceedings against 26 Saudi nationals who were allegedly involved in the murder and transferred the case to the Saudi legal authorities. The move was seen as a key Saudi condition to begin to repair relations. The big picture: The Turkish effort to mend ties with Saudi Arabia is part of a wider push by Erdoğan to improve relations with countries in the region, like the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Israel. Turkey is also seeking to improve ties with Saudi Arabia as part of a new regional policy to bolster its struggling economy, wrote Ragip Soylu, a Turkish journalist based in Ankara who was the first to report on the upcoming visit. Saudi Arabia boycotted goods from Turkey as part of the crisis over the Khashoggi murder. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Greece says ready to help as Armenia fights flooding consequences Greece is ready to assist Armenia in combatting the consequences of deadly floods in the country’s north. “He will leave”: Protest leader no longer demands meeting with Pashinyan Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan no longer demands a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Lemkin Institute petition seeks release of Armenians in Azerbaijan The Lemkin Institute is deeply concerned about the continued illegal detention of political prisoners from Karabakh in Azerbaijan. Armenian Catholicos calls for national unity against threats Karekin II issued a message on Republic Day marking the anniversary of the First Armenian Republic. |