Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has begun a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, seeking to deepen political and economic cooperation as regional tensions over Gaza, Iran and wider Middle East stability dominate the agenda.
Erdoğan departed on Tuesday with a senior delegation that includes Turkish first lady Emine Erdoğan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and Defence Minister Yaşar Güler.
Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said Erdoğan will hold talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on expanding cooperation and reviewing regional developments.
He will travel to Cairo on Wednesday at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to co-chair the second meeting of the Türkiye-Egypt High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.
Duran said the discussions will cover bilateral matters and wider regional issues, with a particular emphasis on Palestine.
Speaking to AnewZ, Mehmet Öğütcü, chairman of the London Energy Club and a former Turkish diplomat, said the visit comes “at a very critical time”, with Gaza, Syria and Iran shaping the agenda. He noted that the size of Erdoğan’s delegation reflects a drive to expand trade, investment and construction projects, alongside discussions about a possible informal Türkiye–Saudi–Pakistan arrangement “benefiting from Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella”.
Öğütcü said the key question remains whether the United States might take military action against Iran. Türkiye is mediating, he told AnewZ, with U.S. and Iranian delegations already talking in Ankara. “If this succeeds, this is going to be a huge achievement,” he said, warning that any strike could prompt regional disruption, from missile launches to threats to routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
He added that Saudi Arabia and Türkiye share an interest in preventing escalation despite different sensitivities. Riyadh remains concerned about Shia militancy and exposure along its oil-producing east, while Türkiye is alert to potential instability affecting “20 to 25 million Iranians of Turkish origin” in the event of conflict.
On Gaza, Öğütcü said both capitals are frustrated by continued Israeli strikes despite ceasefire efforts. Reconstruction will require “tens of billions of dollars”, with Türkiye ready to contribute, though Saudi Arabia wants political leadership to run through Egypt. Türkiye’s role, he said, is acceptable “for humanitarian and reconstruction purposes”, not for shaping Gaza’s future governance.
He also underlined economic ambitions, noting efforts to raise Türkiye–Saudi trade from 8-9 billion dollars to 30 billion dollars, with Turkish construction firms seeking a greater share of major projects and both sides looking at opportunities in energy, infrastructure and defence.
Muslim pilgrims are gathering gathering at Mount Mercy on the Plain of Arafat in Saudi Arabia to mark the Hajj pilgrimage’s most important day. ...
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 26 May, covering the latest developments you need to know. ...
FIFA has confirmed that Iran has moved its World Cup training base from the United States to Mexico, citing the ongoing war in the Middle East and rel...
Iran is restoring global Internet access after President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the repeal of restrictions that have been in place for almost three...
Farmers in Sudan say the war involving Iran is pushing up fuel and fertiliser prices, forcing many to cut back on planting and threatening food produc...
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday (22 May) on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in the Swedish city of Helsingborg.
Prosecutors in Istanbul have ordered the detention of 25 prominent figures, including singers, actors and media personalities, as part of a wide-ranging narcotics investigation.
A Turkish court has effectively removed the main opposition leader, Özgür Özel, in a ruling that has deepened political tensions and rattled financial markets.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in the Swedish city of Helsingborg on Thursday and Friday, diplomatic sources said.
The inaugural Enhanced Games began in Las Vegas on Sunday (24 May), launching one of the most controversial experiments in modern sport, in which athletes openly compete using performance-enhancing drugs banned under traditional anti-doping rules.
A peace agreement between Washington and Tehran is yet to materialise, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying that negotiations are incomplete and an Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman saying that a deal isn't imminent.
A "largely negotiated" memorandum of understanding on an Iran peace deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday, though the Iranian Fars news agency disputed that claim.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 25th May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The World Health Organization warned on Monday that the fast-moving Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda was outpacing response efforts, with 220 suspected deaths reported so far.
Shortly after nine o’clock this morning, a sleek white train eased into Tbilisi’s central railway station, a couple of minutes behind schedule, carrying passengers from Baku for the first time since 2020.
For the first time in decades, Armenia has rail access to the EU. The Akhalkalaki–Kars corridor, running through Georgia into Türkiye, is now officially open for Armenian cargo - a quiet but consequential shift in the region’s economic geography.
The Kremlin warned on Monday that Armenia could lose the “very attractive” price it pays for Russian gas if it moved away from integration with Russia and deepened ties with the European Union.
Uzbekistan has unveiled its final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking the country’s first appearance at football’s biggest tournament. The national team, led by Italian head coach Fabio Cannavaro, will compete at the tournament hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Nearly half of Afghanistan’s population - more than 21 million people - needed humanitarian assistance in the first three months of 2026, according to the United Nations, yet aid agencies reached only 4.7 million people.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment