Relationship dossier
Turkey
Saudi Arabia
Relationship assessment
Rapprochement and defense ties have followed a severe rupture over the Khashoggi killing.
Turkey toward Saudi Arabia
+20Turkey transferred the trial of suspects in Jamal Khashoggi's killing to Saudi Arabia in 2022, a significant step in restoring relations. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's 2022 visit to Saudi Arabia furthered high-level engagement.
Saudi Arabia toward Turkey
+25Saudi Arabia renewed high-level engagement with Turkey through Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's 2022 visit. Saudi Arabia also agreed to major defense procurement from Turkey, including a 2023 Baykar drone deal.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship has a marked shift from the confrontation following Khashoggi's 2018 killing to renewed political and economic engagement. Reciprocal leadership visits, Turkey's transfer of the trial, and Saudi defense procurement support a cooperative trend, while the earlier crisis and its impact on trust remain important constraints.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Turkey and Saudi Arabia moved from a severe rupture after the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi toward renewed high-level engagement. Turkey transferred the trial of the suspects to Saudi Arabia in 2022, and reciprocal leadership visits that year helped restore cooperation. Saudi investment and defense procurement from Turkey, including a major Baykar drone agreement in 2023, added practical ties, although the earlier tensions remain a significant part of the relationship.
Areas of tension
- The killing of Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018 and the ensuing dispute over accountability strained bilateral relations.
- Saudi restrictions and consumer pressure against Turkish goods during the period of strained relations affected economic ties.
Key developments
Jamal Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, triggering a major crisis in Turkish-Saudi relations.
Turkey transferred the trial of suspects in Khashoggi's killing to Saudi Arabia.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Saudi Arabia as the two governments pursued rapprochement.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Turkey amid efforts to restore bilateral relations.
Saudi Arabia signed a major agreement to procure Baykar drones from Turkey.
Major uncertainties
- The extent to which renewed investment and defense cooperation will produce durable strategic alignment is unclear.
- The long-term effect of the Khashoggi case on bilateral trust is uncertain.