Under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Türkiye boosted its ties with Arab countries. Experts say his re-election on Sunday will further advance Turkish-Arab relations to greater horizons.
Erdoğan won last Sunday’s runoff vote with 52.16%. “Prior to the Turkish elections, there was a path of normalization between Türkiye and Arab countries,” Ali Bakir, a professor of international relations at the Ibn Khaldun Center at Qatar University, told Anadolu Agency (AA). Bakir stated that the Turkish-Arab Gulf relations “will witness a focus on investment aspects and cooperation in military and defense sectors, in addition to tourism and energy.” He further said Turkish-Egyptian relations “will witness a higher level of normalization.” “In addition to bilateral relations and trade and investment exchange, efforts will focus on the eastern Mediterranean and possible border demarcation, in addition to the Libyan crisis,” Bakir added.
“Relations with Libya continue with the same momentum. Turkish-Algerian relations may intensify in focusing on economic ties, the energy sector and investment, while the focus will be on trade and defense with Morocco,” he stated. The Turkish side will seek to calm the situation in the Palestinian territories in the event of an Israeli escalation, in addition to talks with Tel Aviv on the possibility of establishing a gas pipeline from Israel to Europe through Cyprus and Türkiye, as per Bakir. On Syria, he said, “I do not think that the Turkish president will meet the head of the Syrian regime any time soon.” “I think Bashar Assad will be given the choice of achieving progress on three issues: Fighting terrorism, ensuring the safe return of refugees, achieving progress in the political process, or a military operation otherwise,” he added. According to the researcher, the focus will be on cooperation between Türkiye, the Arab countries and the international community about financing the construction of cities to accommodate refugees in the liberated areas of Syria. He said, “Turkish-Qatari relations will witness more alliances in the coming period.”
Taha Odeh Oglu, a researcher on Turkish affairs, said the next stage would witness “a new policy for Türkiye with Arab countries.” “The Turkish economy requires forging good ties with a large number of Muslim and Gulf countries in particular,” Oglu told AA. “We noticed that the Turkish-Saudi relationship has reached an advanced stage, and there is information that President Erdoğan will visit Saudi Arabia after this victory,” he added. In addition, Oglu noted that “last March, Riyadh deposited $5 billion in favor of the Turkish Central Bank, which strengthened the confidence of foreign investors in Türkiye.” He also referred to the comprehensive economic partnership agreement signed by the UAE with Türkiye last March, explaining that “Turkish-Emirati ties have reached an advanced stage through agreements.”
In Oglu’s opinion, the next stage will witness a development in the Turkish-Egyptian rapprochement, adding that “the two countries are very important in the Middle East.”
“We expect Turkish-Arab initiatives to find a solution to thorny problems in the region, starting with the situation in Syria, and developments in Sudan, Libya, and Iraq, all of which are at the forefront and priorities of the new government,” Oglu noted.
“Türkiye will move toward warmer relations with the Gulf states and Egypt, given the common economic interests,” Egyptian writer Yasser Abdel Aziz told AA. Abdel Aziz added, “The development of Ankara and Cairo’s relations opens up great prospects for both parties.” “President Erdoğan’s words were clear that the return would be safe and dignified. This position is motivated by the atmosphere of Syria’s return to the Arab League and its participation in the Jeddah summit on May 19,” he stated. The Egyptian writer further said that Turkish-Saudi relations “will witness more cooperation in the coming period, especially in terms of investments.” He highlighted “the importance of Gulf countries standing by Türkiye in the aftermath of devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes.”
