The crown prince, sometimes known as MBS, was greeted with a horseback procession and a state band. He grinned broadly, standing alongside the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who shook his hand with a small smile before the two leaders disappeared behind the gold doors of the presidential palace for one-on-one talks.
"God willing, we will have the opportunity to assess to what much higher level we can take TurkeySaudi Arabia relations," Erdoğan said last week, announcing a visit, including a state dinner, that is expected to yield significant trade deals.
The crown prince's arrival followed visits to Cairo and Jordan, his most significant international trip since December 2018 when he faced protests in Tunisia and objections from Algerian journalists and intellectuals who called his visit "unethical and politically inappropriate".
The visit to Ankara represents a shift in Middle Eastern politics amid efforts to welcome Saudi Arabia back into the international community after pledges to isolate the kingdom due to Khashoggi's murder.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, visited Riyadh last December, while Boris Johnson visited in March to discuss oil production.
This story is from the June 23, 2022 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the June 23, 2022 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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