MESOP BACKGROUNDER : ERDOGAN’S VISIT TO THE GULF / RESULTS

President Erdogan Visits Gulf: Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan embarked on a brief tour of the Persian Gulf region. The visit was widely covered by local media outlets, and was seen as a significant development in Turkey’s relationships with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. His visit to Saudi Arabia highlighted security issues generated by the Saudi-Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War. The positions of Saudi Arabia and Turkey are “absolutely identical” on Syria, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said last week in Ankara. Bahrain and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding on arms cooperation, according to state news. A number of other agreements, including visa fee exemptions and education were also signed.

Turkey reportedly also views the new U.S. administration as more sympathetic to its opposition to the Gulenist Movement, according to a Reuters report, and it continues to discuss the extradition of Fethullah Gulen from the United States. Details via www.mesop.de