JEDDAH: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, will arrive in Saudi Arabia on Monday, the first leg of a three-nation Gulf tour that will also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The trip’s main goal is to look into the possibility of expanding bilateral economic and trade relations.
According to Turkish official sources, the Gulf journey intends to enhance relations between Turkey and the three countries. During his visit to Saudi Arabia, Erdogan is set to see Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Saman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
Erdogan will arrive in Doha on Tuesday for the second phase of his Gulf trip, where he will meet with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
The talks between Erdogan and the leaders of the three Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries would primarily focus on strengthening bilateral ties. The leaders will meet to discuss global and regional problems of mutual concern, such as events in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, and Palestine.
The Turkish president will visit joined by a large delegation that includes numerous ministers, members of Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board, and 200 businessmen, investors, and firm owners. Three economic forums will be held in the presence of Erdogan in Jeddah, Doha, and Abu Dhabi, organised by the Turkish Foreign Relations Council in collaboration with the relevant authorities in the three countries.
Several agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are expected to be signed during the tour, covering the entire range of defence industries, energy, health, agriculture, food, contracting, logistics, infrastructure, e-commerce, and petrochemicals.
Erdogan hoped that his Gulf journey will help to enhance all aspects of relations with the GCC countries. He indicated that Turkey had received pledges for substantial investments, noting that “these investments may be in Turkey, and they may be in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or the United Arab Emirates,” without going into greater detail. He expressed optimism about signing investment treaties with the three countries.
In a press conference on Thursday, Erdogan promised that the visits would allow him to personally witness the Gulf countries’ support for Turkey, saying that “there are pledges from the Gulf countries during our previous meetings to pump large investments into Turkey, and we will put the finishing touches during our next tour.”
He cited many visits by Turkish officials to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates in preparation for his travels to the three nations. Erdogan stated that he would travel to the three Gulf countries with a government delegation, adding, “We want to strengthen relations between us.”
On Thursday, Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek finished a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, accompanied by Central Bank Governor Hafiza Gaye Erkan, which was preceded by two visits to the UAE and then Qatar, escorted by Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz. These trips were intended to lay the groundwork for Erdogan’s arrival.
During these trips, the Saudi side and Turkish companies signed 16 agreements worth more than SR2.3 billion in real estate development, construction, engineering consultancy, and a variety of other investment sectors during the Saudi-Turkish Business Forum, which took place in Istanbul on Wednesday. With the participation of businessmen, investors, and companies specialised in the sector, the forum discussed opportunities for Saudi-Turkish investments and improved communication with Turkish investors and companies in the fields of urban development, construction, real estate development, contracting, smart cities, and urban development.
The forum was attended by Majed Al-Hogail, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, and Omar Polat, Turkish Minister of Trade. Al-Hogail guaranteed that hosting the meeting reflects the depth of historical links between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, since the two countries are friendly.
He stated that the forum provides an opportunity to strengthen cooperation and cooperative work, as well as share successful experiences in the municipal and housing sectors. He added that Saudi Arabia is seeing qualitative growth in numerous economic and development areas, including municipal and housing, as a result of good strategic planning to fulfil the Saudi Vision 2030 goals.
Al-Hogail highlighted his desire to strengthen bilateral collaboration in the areas of real estate development, automation, and infrastructure projects. He emphasised that Saudi Arabia offers many promising and diverse investment prospects through a high-quality environment that encourages investment.
The minister also highlighted the start of construction of more than 300,000 housing units on lands larger than 150 million square metres, with an investment value of more than SR100 billion. He urged all Turkish enterprises to invest in Saudi real estate development. Turkish Trade Minister Omer Polat, for his part, believes that the event opens up new avenues for bilateral collaboration in a variety of economic sectors.
