Turkey and Saudi Arabia plan to sign an agreement to lift the visa requirement for their citizens during a meeting between their foreign ministers in Ankara on Wednesday, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Tuesday.
Relations between Ankara and Riyadh were severely strained following the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, after Turkey accused senior Saudi officials of plotting the murder. Both sides have taken steps to mend ties since 2020.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, are to chair a meeting of the Turkish-Saudi Coordination Council during which an agreement for ordinary and diplomatic passport holders is expected to be signed, the source said.
The source said Fidan would reiterate Turkey’s push for “regional ownership” in dealing with Middle East issues and stress that Ankara would continue to contribute constructively to efforts to end the war in Iran.
He will also stress that developments around the Strait of Hormuz should not lead to “new tensions and provocations,” the source added.
Ties have improved significantly since 2021 after Turkey dropped its accusations of Saudi involvement in the killing of Khashoggi and launched a broader diplomatic effort to mend relations with regional rivals, including Riyadh.
