Staff Correspondent, Dhaka:
Turkey and Saudi Arabia are rapidly transforming a relationship once defined by rivalry into a pragmatic strategic partnership, reflecting a wider realignment of power in the Muslim world.
For decades, Ankara and Riyadh competed for regional influence and followed sharply different policies on major Middle Eastern conflicts. Their differences became particularly visible after the Arab Spring, when Turkey supported political Islamist movements while Saudi Arabia backed more conservative and status-quo-oriented regional policies. The 2017 Qatar crisis further widened the divide, as Turkey stood firmly behind Doha.
The 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul brought bilateral relations to their lowest point. Turkey’s public criticism of Riyadh contributed to diplomatic and economic tensions, while Saudi restrictions on Turkish goods severely affected trade.
Economic realities, however, gradually pushed both sides toward reconciliation. Turkey’s need for Gulf investment and Saudi Arabia’s interest in expanding economic and defense partnerships created incentives to put past disputes aside. The rapprochement gained momentum from 2022, followed by a major Saudi purchase of Turkish drones in 2023, signaling that defense cooperation could become a foundation for broader strategic ties.
Their growing alignment is now extending into regional politics. Turkey and Saudi Arabia increasingly share positions on Syria, Sudan and Somalia, although their interests are not identical. Their expanding cooperation with Pakistan adds another strategic dimension.
The August 2026 joint defense agreement is therefore more than a military arrangement. By treating an attack on one signatory as an attack on all, it creates a collective-security framework involving three influential Muslim-majority states.
Yet Ankara is unlikely to abandon its relationship with the UAE, demonstrating that Turkey’s strategy remains pragmatic rather than bloc-oriented.
The emerging partnership suggests that economic interests, defense cooperation and shared regional concerns are gradually overcoming historical rivalry. Rather than forming a rigid alliance, Turkey and Saudi Arabia appear to be building a flexible strategic partnership designed to strengthen their influence in a rapidly changing Middle East.
