Saudi Deputy FM: Erdogan’s Visit Deepens Historical Relations

Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Eng. Waleed Elkhereiji said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Saudi Arabia extends the countries’ efforts to deepen their century-old historical relationship.

Elkhereiji expressed anticipation for continuous collaboration in the next five years, aiming to build stronger bridges and fulfill the aspirations of both leaderships ahead of the Saudi-Turkish relationship’s centenary in 2029.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Elkhereiji emphasized that one of the pillars of success in the distinguished relationship between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye is the business sector.

He highlighted the two nations’ integration rather than competition, pointing out that both countries strive to cooperate in encouraging direct investment and developing and diversifying bilateral trade.

Regarding the possibility of a Saudi-Turkish role within a unified diplomatic framework to extinguish the flames of war in Ukraine, Elkhereiji clarified that there is a convergence of views and perspectives between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye regarding the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

This provides an opportunity for the two influential nations to work together in encouraging both parties to end the crisis.

Here is the text of the interview:

The visit of the Turkish President to Saudi Arabia comes amidst crises affecting the region and the world. What are the key issues that will be discussed between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye during this visit?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the Kingdom is an extension of the efforts of both countries to deepen their historical relationship, which will reach its centenary in 2029.

Over the next five years leading up to the Saudi-Turkish relationship's centenary, the two nations aspire to continue building stronger bridges and achieving the goals of their respective leaderships and peoples.

The visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz to Türkiye on June 22, 2022, in response to the invitation of the Turkish President, garnered wide international attention.

The Crown Prince’s visit marked a significant leap in the development of relations between the two countries and resulted in notable successes and partnerships across various sectors.

This was followed by the signing of cooperation agreements, reaffirming the commitment of both leaderships to further enhance bilateral relations based on their historical brotherhood and serving the common interests of both nations and ensuring a better future for the region.

Sixteen agreements were signed between Riyadh and Ankara, with a focus on industries and contracting, as discussions increase about opportunities to enhance trade and economic relations between the two countries within the frameworks of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and Türkiye’s “Century of Türkiye.”

Will the current summit witness the signing of more agreements, and in which specific areas?

One of the pillars of success in the distinguished relationship between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye is the business sector. Both countries excel in complementing each other rather than competing with one another in this sector.

Saudi Arabia has abundant energy products and basic materials for industries that meet Türkiye’s needs, while Turkish products and the contracting sector find a favorable market in the Kingdom to meet its growing demands in the construction sector, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

During the past year, between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Türkiye and the current visit by the Turkish President, two investment forums were held, one in Istanbul and the other in Riyadh, resulting in several agreements aimed at supporting the business sector, expanding bilateral trade, and increasing trade exchange.

Both Saudi Arabia and Türkiye possess significant economic potential as members of the G20. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 presents promising opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in areas such as investment, trade, tourism, entertainment, development, industry, mining, construction projects, transportation, and infrastructure.

The Kingdom’s attractive business environment has successfully attracted 390 Turkish companies to invest in the Saudi market, with a total capital of nearly SAR 1 billion. These Turkish companies are active in several sectors, including construction, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, and restaurants.

Both the Saudi and Turkish sides are continuously working on developing and diversifying bilateral trade, facilitating trade exchanges, overcoming any obstacles in this regard, and intensifying communication between the public and private sectors.

This is aimed at exploring investment opportunities and translating them into tangible partnerships in various fields.

The countries are striving to collaborate in encouraging direct investment, as evidenced by the signing of an agreement in this area.

They also organized the Turkish-Saudi Business and Investment Forum in December 2022, with the goal of highlighting promising cooperation opportunities for Turkish companies in the massive projects that the Kingdom will undertake as part of Vision 2030. This was followed by the Saudi-Turkish Business Forum in March in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, as two important nations in the region and the world, are committed to cooperation in all fields and mutual support for ambitious projects, ideas, and initiatives globally.

Türkiye has generously supported Riyadh’s bid to host Expo 2030 and has also supported the Kingdom’s efforts in tackling climate change.

Türkiye also welcomed the launch of Saudi Arabia’s Green Saudi Arabia and Green Middle East initiatives, as well as the implementation of the circular carbon economy approach introduced by the Kingdom and endorsed by the leaders of the G20.

Furthermore, both Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have renewed their commitment to the principles of the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement.

On another note, the role of the Saudi-Turkish Coordination Council aims to enhance and develop relations between the two countries in various fields, including politics, economy, trade, energy, agriculture, culture, education, technology, and military and security industries.

The Council held its first meeting in February 2017 in Ankara, and the second meeting is expected to take place in Riyadh this year.

Türkiye continues to grapple with an economic crisis compounded by the costs of the earthquake damage. Saudi Arabia has taken the initiative to provide humanitarian support and aid to the Turkish economy through a $5 billion deposit in March last year. Are there any further financial assistance or loans that Riyadh will offer to Ankara?

The Kingdom topped the list of donors in response to the earthquake that occurred in Türkiye this year.

Saudi Arabia directed generous support, as per the leadership’s directives, by launching a medical and relief aid airlift.

Additionally, popular donation campaigns were organized, and contracts were signed for projects benefiting the earthquake victims, amounting to over $48.8 million.

These efforts are ongoing, and undoubtedly, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will continue to stand by its brothers and sisters in Türkiye, guided by its firm principles.

Saudi efforts will persist in supporting Türkiye and those affected in earthquake-stricken areas in southern Türkiye and northern Syria.

The Ukrainian crisis has witnessed numerous international mediation initiatives aimed at finding a political solution to the deadly conflict between Moscow and Kyiv. One of these initiatives was the Saudi initiative in late February of last year.

Given Türkiye’s geopolitical position in the Black Sea region, will there be a Saudi-Turkish role within a unified diplomatic framework to extinguish the flames of this crisis?

Saudi Arabia and Türkiye agree that resolving the crisis between Russia and Ukraine should be a top priority for the international community. They share the perspective that the crisis should be resolved in accordance with UN resolutions and international norms, in the best interest of international peace.

Both countries recognize that the current global situation is fragile and cannot afford major and complex crises like the one between Russia and Ukraine.

The Kingdom has presented several initiatives for mediation between Russia and Ukraine, while Türkiye has successfully mediated to maintain the grain agreement since the beginning of the crisis.

The alignment of visions and perspectives between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye regarding the Russian-Ukrainian crisis provides an opportunity for them to work together as influential global states in encouraging both parties to end the crisis.

How does Riyadh view the Turkish-Egyptian rapprochement and its impact on the region?

Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest supporters of improving relations in the region and among all countries in it.

The resumption of Saudi-Iranian relations and Syria’s return to the Arab League serve as evidence of the Kingdom’s efforts to bridge perspectives in the Middle East and make the region one of the safest in the world.

Saudi Arabia firmly believes that peace and security are top priorities and that true development in the Middle East cannot be achieved without reinforcing security and fostering exceptional relationships among regional countries.

The Kingdom has issued a supportive statement regarding the improvement of relations between Türkiye and Egypt.

Undoubtedly, Saudi Arabia sees this rapprochement as a new opportunity to create a better atmosphere in the region, as an important part of the push towards a secure Middle East.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich has told Asharq Al-Awsat that the US does not plan to withdraw its forces from Syria.

The US is committed to “the partnership that we have with the local forces that we work with,” he said.

Here is the full text of the interview.

Question: Mr. Goldrich, thank you so much for taking the time to sit with us today. I know you are leaving your post soon. How do you assess the accomplishments and challenges remaining?

Answer: Thank you very much for the chance to talk with you today. I've been in this position for three years, and so at the end of three years, I can see that there's a lot that we accomplished and a lot that we have left to do. But at the beginning of a time I was here, we had just completed a review of our Syria policy, and we saw that we needed to focus on reducing suffering for the people in Syria. We needed to reduce violence. We needed to hold the regime accountable for things that are done and most importantly, from the US perspective, we needed to keep ISIS from reemerging as a threat to our country and to other countries. At the same time, we also realized that there wouldn't be a solution to the crisis until there was a political process under resolution 2254, so in each of these areas, we've seen both progress and challenges, but of course, on ISIS, we have prevented the reemergence of the threat from northeast Syria, and we've helped deal with people that needed to be repatriated out of the prisons, and we dealt with displaced people in al-Hol to reduce the numbers there. We helped provide for stabilization in those parts of Syria.

Question: I want to talk a little bit about the ISIS situation now that the US troops are still there, do you envision a timeline where they will be withdrawn? Because there were some reports in the press that there is a plan from the Biden administration to withdraw.

Answer: Yeah. So right now, our focus is on the mission that we have there to keep ISIS from reemerging. So I know there have been reports, but I want to make clear that we remain committed to the role that we play in that part of Syria, to the partnership that we have with the local forces that we work with, and to the need to prevent that threat from reemerging.

Question: So you can assure people who are saying that you might withdraw, that you are remaining for the time being?

Answer: Yes, and that we remain committed to this mission which needs to continue to be pursued.

Question: You also mentioned the importance of humanitarian aid. The US has been leading on this. Are you satisfied with where you are today on the humanitarian front in Syria?

Answer: We remain committed to the role that we play to provide for humanitarian assistance in Syria. Of the money that was pledged in Brussels, we pledged $593 million just this past spring, and we overall, since the beginning of the conflict, have provided $18 billion both to help the Syrians who are inside of Syria and to help the refugees who are in surrounding countries. And so we remain committed to providing that assistance, and we remain keenly aware that 90% of Syrians are living in poverty right now, and that there's been suffering there. We're doing everything we can to reduce the suffering, but I think where we would really like to be is where there's a larger solution to the whole crisis, so Syrian people someday will be able to provide again for themselves and not need this assistance.

Question: And that's a perfect key to my next question. Solution in Syria. you are aware that the countries in the region are opening up to Assad again, and you also have the EU signaling overture to the Syrian regime and Assad. How do you deal with that?

Answer: For the United States, our policy continues to be that we will not normalize with the regime in Syria until there's been authentic and enduring progress on the goals of resolution 2254, until the human rights of the Syrian people are respected and until they have the civil and human rights that they deserve. We know other countries have engaged with the regime. When those engagements happen, we don't support them, but we remind the countries that are engaged that they should be using their engagements to push forward on the shared international goals under 2254, and that whatever it is that they're doing should be for the sake of improving the situation of the Syrian people.

Question: Let's say that all of the countries decided to talk to Assad, aren’t you worried that the US will be alienated in the process?

Answer: The US will remain true to our own principles and our own policies and our own laws, and the path for the regime in Syria to change its relationship with us is very clear, if they change the behaviors that led to the laws that we have and to the policies that we have, if those behaviors change and the circumstances inside of Syria change, then it's possible to have a different kind of relationship, but that's where it has to start.

Question: My last question to you before you leave, if you have to pick one thing that you need to do in Syria today, what is it that you would like to see happening today?

Answer: So there are a number of things, I think that will always be left and that there are things that we will try to do, to try to make them happen. We want to hold people accountable in Syria for things that have happened. So even today, we observed something called the International Day for victims of enforced disappearances, there are people that are missing, and we're trying to draw attention to the need to account for the missing people. So our step today was to sanction a number of officials who were responsible for enforced disappearances, but we also created something called the independent institution for missing persons, and that helps the families, in the non-political way, get information on what's happened. So I'd like to see some peace for the families of the missing people. I'd like to see the beginning of a political process, there hasn't been a meeting of the constitutional committee in two years, and I think that's because the regime has not been cooperating in political process steps. So we need to change that situation. And I would, of course, like it's important to see the continuation of the things that we were talking about, so keeping ISIS from reemerging and maintaining assistance as necessary in the humanitarian sphere. So all these things, some of them are ongoing, and some of them remain to be achieved. But the Syrian people deserve all aspects of our policy to be fulfilled and for them to be able to return to a normal life.

Saudi Deputy FM: Erdogan’s Visit Deepens Historical Relations