Riyadh and Ankara have significantly improved ties since the fall of the Syrian government to former ISIS and Al-Qaeda warlords
The Turkish government is looking to seal a $6 billion weapons deal with Saudi Arabia during an upcoming visit to the Gulf kingdom by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Turkish officials who spoke with Bloomberg.
“[Turkiye] is trying to grow its defense industry and sees Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s biggest importers of arms, as a key market,” the New York-based publication reports, adding that the impending deal could see Riyadh “joining a Turkish jet-building project.”
Ankara reportedly wants to sell its Altay battle tank and missile defense systems to Saudi Arabia, the unnamed officials are quoted as saying.
It also wants the kingdom to partner in developing the KAAN fighter jet, a Turkish fifth-generation stealth fighter warplane developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and London-based BAE Systems.
According to a report published by the Atlantic Council earlier this month, Saudi Arabia's interest in the KAAN stems from its long-delayed attempts to acquire US-made F-35 fighter jets.
“By pursuing fighter jet acquisitions from [Turkiye], Saudi Arabia is strategically positioning itself to reduce its reliance on western military hardware, including US military equipment. This shift is driven by complex political dynamics, especially with US restrictions on the sale of advanced fighters such as the F-35 and Washington’s prioritization of maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge,” the US think tank says.
Bloomberg's report comes one day before Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan travels to Riyadh to meet with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and other senior Saudi officials. On 27 January, Ankara announced that “Discussions are expected to focus on the situation in Syria and strengthening bilateral cooperation."
Saudi–Turkish relations have significantly thawed over recent years after a period of conflict over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's Istanbul Consulate in 2018.
In 2023, Riyadh purchased an unknown number of drones from Turkey’s Baykar. The Turkish arms manufacturer also signed a deal with the state-owned Saudi Arabia Military Industries for local production of drones in the kingdom.
Bilateral ties also improved following the Turkish-backed coup in Syria that saw the rise of former ISIS and Al-Qaeda warlord Ahmad al-Sharaa (previously known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani) to power.....
🔗SOURCE ➡️ The Cradle
Related: Related: 12/15 — According to Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alpraslan Bayraktar, a long-dormant pipeline project between Turkiye and Qatar could be revived following the collapse of the Assad government, as reported by Anadolu Agency.
Turkiye and Qatar have long sought to restore the natural gas pipeline project, which would connect European countries and Turkiye to Qatar through Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria.
The former government in Syria opposed attempts by Qatar and others to restore this pipeline. Many believe this was among the reasons why Arab and western governments decided to support and facilitate efforts to overthrow the government and divide the country.
8/9/23 — Business Insider: Russia and Iran Supporting Syria 'To Push US Forces Out In a Coercive and Systematic Effort' [X] — TheMcgwire / @PsyopDaily original
A 2012 DOD intelligence report... reveals that the US *checks notes* predicted that funding the US funding the opposition to Assad, whom the report acknowledged was largely composed of *checks notes* Jihadi extremists including Al-Qaeda, would likely lead to an Islamic state, which “the supporting powers to the opposition”, identifed as the US, Turkey, and the Gulf nations, WANT… “isolate the Assad regime”
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