Turkey and Saudi Arabia's rocky relations: A brief history

Turkey and Saudi Arabia's relationship has been marked by periods of cooperation and tension. The two nations, both Sunni Muslim powers, have historically competed for leadership of the Muslim world. The Ottoman Empire ruled over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina for nearly 350 years before the Saudis toppled the Ottomans in 1924.

For many years, Turkey and Saudi Arabia maintained a cordial relationship, supporting each other in various conflicts. They backed Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war and the US during the Gulf War. However, their relationship began to deteriorate following the Arab Spring in 2010. While both countries initially supported the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, their approaches to revolutionary movements in the region grew increasingly divergent.

Turkey supported the 2013 military coup in Egypt led by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a close ally of Saudi Arabia. However, once Sisi consolidated power, Turkey began to openly oppose him. Riyadh accused Turkey of being part of a "triangle of evil" alongside Iran and extremist religious groups in 2018. This culminated in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul the following year.

The Khashoggi killing marked the lowest point in Turkey-Saudi relations in modern times. Turkish prosecutors indicted 20 Saudis in connection with the murder, based on various pieces of evidence. Since then, the two countries have attempted to mend their ties, evidenced by recent defense agreements signed with Pakistan.