turkey saudi

8/22/2019 Turkey Saudi

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S E T A | F o u n d a t o n o r P o l t c a l , E c o n o m c a n d S o c a l R e s e a r c h | J u l y , 2 0 1 2 | w w w . s e t a v . o r g | B r e N o : 5 7

Turkey and Saud Araba:Newly Dscovered Partners?

Muhittin Ataman

Policy BriefSETA


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S E T AP O L I C Y B R I E F

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Author: Muhttn AtamanResearch Assstant: Glah Neslhan Demr

J u l y , 20 1 2 | B r e N o : 5 7

ABSTRACT

When we consder Saud Araban large populaton, terrtores and natural resources, t s obvous that t wll contnue to

preserve ts geopoltcal, geo-economc and geo-cultural mportance n uture. The assumpton o Kng Abdullah as the

ruler o the country provded an opportunty to restructure the countrys oregn polcy. The new kng began to ollow a

more pragmatc, ratonal, nterdependent, multlateral and multdmensonal oregn polcy. He pursues an actve oregn

polcy requred to be less dependent on a sngle state (the Unted States) and on a sngle product (ol).

Due to ther derent regme types and deologcally- orented oregn polces, relatons between Turkey and Saud Araba

dd not progress throughout the 20th century. However, Ankara and Ryadh mproved ther blateral relatons durng the

AK Party government and the regn o Kng Abdullah. Parallel to ts new oregn polcy prncples such as zero-problems

wth neghbors, maxmum cooperaton, pro-actvsm, rhythmc dplomacy, the AK Party mproved ts relatons wth

Saud Araba. Kng Abdullah responded accordngly. In addton, recent developments such as the Arab revolts n theregon push the two countres to mprove ther cooperaton urther.

TURKEY AND SAUDI ARABIA:

NEWLY DISCOVERED

PARTNERS?

2 0 1 2 A l l R i g h t s R e s e r v e d

S E T A | N e n e h a t u n C a d d e s N o : 6 6 G a z o s m a n p a a / a n k a y a 0 6 7 0 0 A N K A R A T R K Y EP h o n e : + 9 0 3 1 2 . 5 5 1 2 1 0 0 | F a x : + 9 0 3 1 2 . 5 5 1 2 1 9 0 | w w w . s e t a v . o r g | n o @ s e t a v . o r g

CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND | 3

II. RESTRUCTURING IN SAUDI ARABIAN FOREIGN POLICY: AMULTIDIMENSIONAL AND MULTILATERAL FOREIGN POLICY

UNDERSTANDING | 4

III. RELATIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND SAUDI ARABIA | 12

IV. SAUDI AND TURKISH APPROACHES TOWARDS THE ARAB

REVOLTS: POLICY IMPLICATIONS | 18

V. CONCLUSION | 22


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T U R K E Y A N D S A U D IA R A B I A : N E W L YD I S C O V E R E D P A R T N E R S ?

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I. INTRODUCTION: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The Kngdom o Saud Araba was establshed as a result o the competton between

two Arab amles (Sher Hussen and Abdul-Azz bn Saud) supported by the Brtsh

aganst the Ottomans ater the Frst World War. Due to ts geostrategc, geo-cultural

and most mportantly geo-economc characterstcs, Saud Araba s consdered as one

o the most sgncant states o the Muslm world and the Mddle East. Saud Araba,

under the rule o the oldest and the most stable kngdom o the Arab world, has beenollowng a polcy dependent on ol and the West. Ater securng natonal stablty

through the Saud dynasty, close relatons were establshed wth the Brtsh.

Tradtonal Saud Araban oregn polcy has been determned by our basc objectves.

These are the preservaton o an Islamc way o le n both domestc and oregn set-

tngs, the mantenance o terrtoral ntegrty, natonal prosperty, and the contnuaton

o the royal regme.1 Securty, poltcal, and economc needs o the country have been

provded n the ramework o these our actors. Snce ts ndependence, Saud admn-

stratons were heavly dependent on the West n achevng these objectves. Saud

Araba, whch became dependent on the US n the wake o the Second World War, col-

laborated wth the Chrstan West aganst the athest Sovet Bloc and opposed the

reormst Egypt under the leadershp o Nasser and other Sovet collaborators.

Wth the ncrease o deamaton campagns n the West aganst Islam and Muslms ater

the Cold War, the Saud admnstraton ound t more dcult to ntate relatons wth

the West wthout ncurrng poltcal and socal problems. Ryadh, whch based the ex-

stence o the state and the legtmacy o the al-Saud amly upon the Islamc sources,

was stuck between the ant-Islam/ant-Muslm West and ts Muslm people. As both the

exclusonst developments n the Western world aganst Islam and Muslms and the

awareness o the Saud people ncreased, there was less chance or Saud authortes to

1. Muhittin Ataman, Kingdom o Saudi Arabia, in Wolgang Gieler ve Kemal nat (Ed.) Foreign Policy in the Gre-ater Middle East: Central Middle Eastern Countries, Berlin, Germany: WiessenschatlicherVerlag, 2005, pp. 85-102, p. 86.

TURKEY AND SAUDI ARABIA: NEWLY

DISCOVERED PARTNERS?


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acheve a balance between the two sdes. The understandng o peaceul coexstence

was damaged as a result o serous changes n mutual perceptons.Snce the executers o the September 11 attacks were mostly Saud Araban ctzens,

Saud Araba, one o the closest regonal alles and strategc partners o the US or de-

cades, became or the rst tme the subject o dscusson n the Amercan meda and

poltcal crcles. The Amercan percepton and the general mage o the country were

sgncantly changed. As wll be explaned n the ollowng pages, Saud Araba expe-

renced a sgncant restructurng n ts relatons wth the US ater ths event, whch s

consdered as a mlestone or all Mddle Eastern states. The US began to redene the

Mddle Eastern poltcal, economc, and socal structures n the ramework o the Great-

er Mddle Eastern Project (GMEP). Analyses and plans made regardng the uture o the

regon demonstrate that both domestc and oregn polces o Saud Araba would not

be as stable and problem ree as they used to be. In the wake o September 11, the

Wahhab verson o Islam replaced the Sha verson, whch was otherzed ater the

Islamc revoluton as a dangerous deology and as a undamentalst understandng.

However, the mutual relatons dd not come apart because o the nterdependence

between the two countres the Amercan dependence on ol and the Saud depen-

dence on US support or the contnuaton o ts regme and economc nterests. Wth

the outbreak o the Arab Sprng at the end o 2010 and the spread o uprsngs to many

regonal countres, mutual relatons between the Kngdom and the US sgncantly

mproved. Even though the man quest o uprsngs were/are greater poltcal partc-paton, poltcal reedoms, and better economc condtons, Washngton and Ryadh

remaned on the same sde throughout the process. In partcular, they have strength-

ened ther relatonshp durng the Syran crss.

II. RESTRUCTURING IN SAUDI ARABIAN FOREIGN POLICY: AMULTIDIMENSIONAL AND MULTILATERAL FOREIGN POLICYUNDERSTANDING

Compared wth the prevous perod, Saud Araba has been tryng to ntegrate wth

nternatonal socety and to open ts socety, poltcs, and economcs to the world snce

Kng Abdullah came to power n 2005. It began to take on more responsbltes wthn

nternatonal organzatons and to sgn and nternalze more nternatonal documents

such as the Unted Natons Conventon aganst Transnatonal Organzed Crme and the

Agreement Establshng the World Trade Organzaton. The sgncant ncrease n the

nteractons o Saud authortes (vsts o Saud authortes to other states and vsts o

oregn ocals to the country) snce 2005 s an ndcaton o the Saud ntegraton wth

nternatonal socety. The most radcal oregn polcy breakthrough n the kngdoms

hstory was acheved n 2006, the rst year o Kng Abdullah,2 wth the transormaton,

dverscaton, and restructurng n both domestc and oregn polcy. Wth the help o

2. Muhittin Ataman, Suudi Arabistan 2006, in Kemal nat ve Muhittin Ataman (Ed.), Ortadou Yll 2006, Anka-ra: Nobel Yayn Datm, 2007, pp. 217-246.

Tradtonal SaudAraban oregn

polcy has beendetermned by our

basc objectves.These are the

preservaton oan Islamc way

o le n bothdomestc and

oregn settngs,

the mantenanceo terrtoral

ntegrty, natonalprosperty, and thecontnuaton o the

royal regme.


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Compared wth theprevous perod,

Saud Araba hasbeen tryng tontegrate wthnternatonalsocety and toopen ts socety,poltcs, andeconomcs to theworld snce Kng

Abdullah came topower n 2005.

the ncreasng crtques rom the US and other Western countres, the Saud Kngdom

began to nstgate a multdmensonal and nterdependent oregn polcy n order tosecure sel sucency and to decrease ts dependence on oregn powers.

Saud Araba ntensed ts oregn poltcal actvtes n order to ensure a great deal

o goals: mantanng ts terrtoral ntegrty and natonal securty, preventng lkely re-

gonal Iranan hegemony, thwartng the emergence o any challengng power n the

Gul drected to ts regonal hegemony, avodng confcts or tensons wth ts longtme

collaborator (the US), mantanng ts status n the Arab world, and preventng any rad-

cal poltcal change n the regon.3 As mentoned by the Crown Prnce Saud Al-Fasal n

one o hs ntervews, Saud Araba began to ollow a multlateral and ndependent or-

egn polcy. For example, the country began dversyng ts weapon sources. Al-Fasal

attrbuted ths to three ratonales: Frst, we do not want to depend on one source.

Second, we want to buy the most sophstcated weapons or our armed orces. Thrd,

we want to transer normaton technologes.4 Ths means that Ryadh was tryng to

get rd o ts tradtonal Western dependency by ndng new poltcal and economc

partners and by ntatng a new process o cooperaton.

The elderly Kng Abdullah began to make oregn vsts prevously unprecedented n

the countrys hstory.5 Leadng busnessmen o the country accompaned the kng dur-

ng these vsts, as opposed to members o the Saud Dynasty. Ths demonstrates the

change n oregn polcy understandng as well as the domestc poltcal mndset. Kng

Abdullah undertook an actve oregn polcy n order to make Saud Araba eectve nmultlateral and nternatonal platorms and to end the longtme dependency on one

state (the US) and one product (ol). He attempted to secure a respectable poston or

hs country n the Mddle East and n the Arab and Muslm worlds.

Saud Araba underwent a avorable and dynamc economc perod due to the rsng

prces o ol and ts membershp n the World Trade Organzaton n 2005. The new kng

tred to use the prosperty brought by these two developments n a derent drecton.

Saud Arabas relatvely open economc oregn polcy allowed or dverscaton o the

kngdoms economy n terms o both producton o goods and ndng new trade part-

ners. As a result, Saud Araba s nowadays more ntegrated wth the world n poltcal,

economc, socal, and cultural spheres.

Several sgncant multlateral meetngs organzed by Kng Abdullah can be consd-

ered as ndcatons o hs actve, multdmensonal and multlayered oregn polcy,

especally n the cultural realm. The Kng arranged an nternatonal conerence called

the Internatonal Islamc Dalogue Meetng, whch brought 600 state representatves,

3. Abdulbari Atwan, Suudi Arabistan Neyin Peinde?Radikal, 11 February 2007.4. Tariq Alhomayed, Asharq Al-Awsat Interviews Saudi Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, Asharq Al- Awsat, 8January 2007.

5. Kng Abdullah made a hstorc 14 day vst to our mportant Asan states (Chna, Inda, Pakstan and Malaysa) nJanuary 2006. He became the rst kng vsted Chne ever, Inda n ty years and Pakstan n thrty years. He made

ocal vsts to Span, France and Poland on 18-24 June 2007. Ths hghest level vst was the rst to Span n 27years. He became the rst Saud kng who vsted Poland ever. He vsted our European countres (England, Italy,Vatcan and Germany) n November 2007. Durng hs vst to Italy, he vsted Vatcan and met wth Pope Benedctusthe 16th, the leader o the Catholc world.


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Saud Arabaunderwent a

avorable anddynamc economc

perod due tothe rsng prces

o ol and tsmembershp n

the World TradeOrganzaton n

2005. Saud Arabas

relatvely openeconomc oregn

polcy allowedor dverscatono the kngdoms

economy n termso both producton

o goods andndng new trade

partners.

thnkers, and scholars together to dscuss nter-ath and nter-cultural dalogue among

Muslms.6 The Kng establshed the Dalogue o Followers o Relgons and Cultures, aplatorm asprng to mprove the culture o dalogue n the world. Furthermore, the Kng

called or a World Dalogue Conerence, held n Madrd, n whch academcs and leaders

rom derent relgons n 54 countres dscussed the culture o tolerance. 7 These two

meetngs n the cultural sphere are poltcally sgncant snce the Kngdom, whch s

tradtonally undamentalst and exclusonst, began to embrace other thoughts, ways

o le, and cvlzatons. The Kng also organzed the Internatonal Energy Conerence

n Jeddah n June 2008, n whch 36 countres, ncludng the leadng ol exporters and

mporters n the world, dscussed the stablty o the global energy market.8

Redefnition o Saudi-American Relations

Saud-Amercan relatons moved along an unstable track snce the September 11 at-

tacks. Emergng problems between Washngton and Ryadh caused sgncant chang-

es n ther perceptons and approaches towards one other. For nstance, many Amer-

cans clamed that the Saud Kngdom should be destroyed or supportng radcal Islam

and spreadng nternatonal terrorsm. The paradoxcal dmenson n Saud-Amercan

relatons has contnued. Sometmes t s clamed that the tradtonal allance between

the two states wll deterorate; at others, t s emphaszed that the two need each other.

On the one hand, there s a strong suspcon aganst a country ruled wth a relgon-

centered ant-Westernst understandng by the West; on the other hand, Saud Arabas a longtme ally o the US and the West n the regon.

Interdependence between these two countres, the largest consumer and the largest

producer countres o ol n the world, wll contnue n uture. The US s stll the bggest

tradng partner o the Kngdom. Saud busnessmen are among the largest nvestors n

the Unted States and the Kngdom s one o the leadng buyer countres o Amercan

treasury bonds. Amercan dependence on ol and natural gas stll contnues. Presdent

Bushs two vsts to the Kngdom n 6 months demonstrated ths Amercan depen-

dence, both economc and poltcal. In return, the Presdent hosted the Kng n hs arm

located n Texas, agan showng hs grattude or the contnuous support.9

When Washngton aced a predcament ater the nvason o Iraq, t needed the help

o Saud Araba, ts tradtonal ally. Vce Presdent Cheney asked Ryadh to support

Amercan polces n Lebanon and Iraq durng hs meetng wth Kng Abdullah n No-

vember 2006.10 However, Amercan nvason o Iraq dd not solve a regonal problem;

on the contrary, t brought a Sha admnstraton to power. Ths new condton, whch

dsturbed all Sunn states and communtes n the regon, was/s one o the results o

Amercan alure n Iraq. Sauds, who pursue leadershp o the Arab world and nclude

6. Mekkedeki Diyalog Toplants vg Toplad, Zaman, 7 June 2008.7. Suud Kral, Dini Liderleri Diyalog in Madridte Buluturdu, Zaman, 18 July 2008.8. Petrol reten lkeler Bir Araya Geliyor, Zaman, 13 June 2008.9. Kraln At itliinde Petrol Pazarl, Radikal, 16 January 2008.10. US Seeks Saudi Help,US Seeks Saudi Help, Herald Sun, 27 November 2006.


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Saud Araba wllbe among the rst

states to play adecsve role n apossble Amercannterventonaganst Iran.Amercan ocalsneed the supporto Saud Araba andother Sunn Arab

states aganst thechallenge o Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah,Syra, and Iran.

a consderable Sha mnorty n the ol-rch regons o the country, were among the

countres most nfuenced by the Amercan alure. As a result, the Kngdom ncreas-ngly devated rom the Amercan perspectve regardng regonal ssues.

Saud Araba wll be among the rst states to play a decsve role n a possble Amer-

can nterventon aganst Iran. Amercan ocals need the support o Saud Araba and

other Sunn Arab states aganst the challenge o Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Syra, and Iran.

In ths ramework, the US admnstraton agreed to a $60 bllon arms deal wth Saud

Araba n 2010 n order to balance the Iranan regonal nfuence as well as to orty

ts blateral securty relatons. Through the bggest arms deal n US hstory, the US ad-

mnstraton agreed to sell 84 F-15 ghter jets, upgrade 70 exstng Saud F-15s, and to

sell helcopters, mssles, bombs, delvery systems, and accessores such as nght-vson

goggles and radar warnng systems.11

Yet, although Ryadh s one o the sgncant supporters o the Amercan struggle

aganst nternatonal terrorsm, t s reluctant to ollow the US n all matters. For n-

stance, t declned the Amercan demand to rase ol producton and to reduce ol

prces. Ryadh has also called on Washngton to ollow an mpartal polcy towards the

Mddle East and to stop the Israel atroctes.12 Thereore, consderng that blateral rela-

tons cannot be lmted to securty and ol ssues, both sdes wll have to reconsder and

redene ther allance based upon the recent developments n the regon. Durng the

Obama Admnstraton relatons between these two states have mproved. They con-

tnue to cooperate n the struggle aganst nternatonal terrorsm and preservng thesecurty and status quo o the regon, as well as or the stablty o the energy market

and economc development.13

A More Active Role in the Arab World

Saud Araba has recently taken sgncant steps to play a more actve role n the Arab

world. It canalzed all poltcal, economc and cultural recourses and opportuntes. For

example, t uses the most sacred ctes o Islam (the source o legtmacy) and ol money

(the source o wealth) to be perceved as a legtmate regonal power. Ryadh began

to develop an Islamc and tradtonal Arab dentty and to strengthen Arab unty,

and t emphaszed takng a common atttude n regonal questons such as Palestne,

Lebanon and Iraq.14 For nstance, the Kngdom revtalzed the Peace Plan prepared by

Kng Abdullah regardng the Palestnan problem. Contnung ts actve regonal lead-

ershp polcy, the Kngdom has struggled wth Egypt to become the guardan o the

Arab world and the hegemon o the regon. It has ollowed and has taken ntatves

n regonal and global developments such as the proleraton o nuclear weapons, n-

ternatonal terrorsm, energy supply, the Palestnan ssue, the Iraq nvason and the

11. Ewen MacAskll, US Congress Noted over $60BN Arms Sale to Saud Araba, The Guardian, 21 October2010.

12. Khaled Almaeena, Return to Reason, Mr. President,Khaled Almaeena, Return to Reason, Mr. President, Arab News, 15 January 2008; Raid Qusti, This Is Not theTime or Provocation: Saud, Arab News, 15 January 2008.13. Al Toraii, America, Saudi Arabia and the World,Al Toraii, America, Saudi Arabia and the World, Asharq Alawsat, 30 Haziran 2010.14. Samir Al-Saadi, Kingdom Calls or a Stronger Arab League,Samir Al-Saadi, Kingdom Calls or a Stronger Arab League, Arab News, 27 August 2006.


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Ryadh beganto develop an

Islamc andtradtonal Arab

dentty andto strengthen

Arab unty, andt emphaszed

takng a commonatttude n regonal

questons such as

Palestne, Lebanonand Iraq.

Lebanese crss. It tred to become part o the soluton processes. As a result, the Kng-

dom has become an actve regonal player and an nfuental representatve o the Arabworld n global platorms such as the G-20.15

Saud Araba always emphaszed Iraqs securty, stablty, ndependence, terrtoral nteg-

rty, and unty o ts peoples. Demandng the contnuaton o Iraqs stablty, Ryadh had

to take an ant-Amercan stance tme to tme to oversee regonal balances and promote

Iraqs terrtoral ntegrty. Durng the 2007 Arab League Summt Meetng, Kng Abdullah

emphaszed that Iraq experenced a cvl war under an unar nvason. Snce the rst

day o the Iraq nvason, the Kngdom ollowed a balanced polcy toward all sdes o

Iraq poltcs. It asked or a common admnstraton n Iraq comprsed o Sunns, Shas,

and Kurds, rather than a predomnantly Sha government.16 In ths context, Kng Abdul-

lah took the requred steps to prevent denomnatonal confcts by meetng wth Iraqs

leadng Sunn and Shs authortes n October 2007. He clamed that denomnatonal

and ethnc separaton o the country would only exacerbate the countrys problems.

Saud Araba has provded the bggest materal support to Palestnans and oered the

most concrete poltcal proposal or the Israel-Palestnan confct. Whle Ryadh, has

tred to keep Hamas away rom ant status quo powers such as Iran, t has also med-

ated between the confctng sdes n spte o Amercan and Israel opposton to the

ormaton o a unty government. Ryadh attempted to gude the Arab states n ollow-

ng a balanced ant-Israel polcy; that s, one that nether gnores the Palestnan con-

fct, nor opposes the Amercan-led pro-Israel nternatonal bas. Kng Abdullah med-ated between Hamas and Al-Fatah durng the 2006 Palestnan cvl war. As a result o

hs eorts, Al-Fatah leader Mahmud Abbas and Hamas leader n-exle Khaled Mashal

reached an agreement on 28 February 2007 and declared the Mecca Declaraton to

arrange the man prncples o a unty government. Kng Abdullahs plan stpulatng the

normalzaton o relatons between Israel and the Arab states n exchange or the wth-

drawal o Israel rom all occuped terrtores and the return o all Palestnan reugees

to ther homes was unanmously accepted n the Arab League Summt Meetng held n

2007. Ryadh called or support o the plan n the Annapols Conerence, organzed by

the US on the Palestnan problem and held n November 2007.

Saud Araba has ollowed an actve polcy regardng the Lebanese domestc confct.Ryadh asked or an ndependent country wth a stable and strong central government

and nssted on a dalogue between the antagonst sdes to mantan stablty. 17 Saud

Foregn Mnster Saud Al-Fasal prepared a plan to end the tenson between Lebanon

and Syra. Kng Abdullah attempted to the end dsputes not only between the pro-

Western government and ant-Western Hezbollah, but also between Sunn and Sha

groups.18 Saud Araba, asprng or poltcal and economc leadershp o the Arab

world, also took sgncant postve steps towards the Gul States, Yemen, and Jordan.

15. Msrla Arabistan Arasnda G-20 Kavgas,Msrla Arabistan Arasnda G-20 Kavgas, Zaman, 25 November 2008.16. Omer Taspinar, The Saudi-American Connection,Omer Taspinar, The Saudi-American Connection, Todays Zaman, 21 May 2007.17. P. K. Abdul Ghaour, Kingdom Calls or Dialogue in Lebanon,P. K. Abdul Ghaour, Kingdom Calls or Dialogue in Lebanon, Arab News, 5 December 2006.18. Hezbollah Seems to Agree with Saudi Arabian Arbitration,Hezbollah Seems to Agree with Saudi Arabian Arbitration, Todays Zaman, 6 January 2007.


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Kng Abdullahmedated between

Hamas and Al-Fatah durng the2006 Palestnancvl war. As aresult o hs eorts,Al-Fatah leaderMahmud Abbasand Hamas leadern-exle Khaled

Mashal reachedan agreementon 28 February2007 and declaredthe MeccaDeclaraton toarrange the manprncples o aunty government.

Ater a summt meetng o the Gul Cooperaton Councl (GCC) n Doha on 3-4 Decem-

ber 2007, the member states sgned an agreement and declared a common marketand promsed to use a common currency called Al-Khaleej n near uture. 19 Yemen s

n accesson negotatons and expects to be a ull member o GCC n 2015. Jordans

membershp applcaton was accepted and Morocco was nvted to jon GCC by GCC

member countres n 2011.20

Saud Araba contnued ts Arab openng untl the break o the Arab Sprng. The Kng-

dom mproved ts relatons wth Assad Regme n Syra and the Lebanese government

and tred to cooperate wth other Arab countres to preserve the regonal status quo.

Ths s why; t supported the Yemen government durng ts struggle aganst Sha Huth

guerllas and Sunn al-Qada mltants. The Saud admnstraton ntervened nto the

confct and the crss was transormed nto an nternatonal problem. When Saudorces attacked the Huth guerllas, they attacked back on Yemen and Saud orces lo-

cated n Saud terrtores on November 3, 2009.21 Upon the alure o the Saud and

Yemen armed orces, Amercan orces ntervened on the sde o the governments n

January 2010.22 In the Iraq crss, the Kngdom tred to balance the Iranan nfuence n

the country and nvted derent Iraq poltcal groups and actors such as Kurds, Sun-

ns and Shas to Ryadh or consultaton and abandoned ts non-nterventonst polcy.

In ths context, the Kngdom began to x ts relatons wth the Arab states and to use

ts sot power, .e. humantaran assstance and development, n neghborng regons.

It tred to mprove ts relatons wth ts hstorcal rval Jordan and t began to x ts

relatons wth Syra ater mutual vsts by Kng Abdullah and Syran Presdent Assad n

2009. In the same year, Ryadh sent an ambassador to Damascus, whch t had wth-

drawn ater the assassnaton o then Lebanese Prme Mnster Raq al-Harr n 2005.

Furthermore, Kng Abdullah and Assad held a meetng n Lebanon n July 2010 to nd

a soluton or the Lebanese crss.

Regional Rivalry with Iran

Saud Araba had to be part o the ant-Iranan algnment oered by the US on the

one hand but nd ways o cooperaton wth Iran n derent ssue areas on the other.

The Kngdom s among the rst o those drectly nfuenced by the Amercan-Irananconfct. Saud ocals have to be careul n ther dealngs wth ther longtme ally and

supporter and one o ther most mportant neghbors. The Kngdom especally aces a

dlemma wth Irans development o nuclear energy and weapons o mass destructon

ssue. Although Ryadh nds ant-Iranan measures proposed by the US problematc

n terms o regonal stablty, t clams that a nuclear Iran wll cause more nstablty.

Saud Araba advocates a dplomatc soluton to the nuclear problem between Iran and

global powers and eradcatng o weapons o mass destructon n the regon.

19. P. K. Abdul Ghaour, GCC Common Market Becomes a Reality,P. K. Abdul Ghaour, GCC Common Market Becomes a Reality, Arab News, 1 January 2008.

20. Jordan, Morocco to Join GCC,Jordan, Morocco to Join GCC, Khaleej Times, 11 May 2011,21. Ma Yaman, Saud Araba Goes To War, The Guardian, 23 November 2009.22. Muhittin Ataman ve Nuh Ugan, Suudi Arabistan 2010, in Kemal nat ve Muhittin Ataman (Ed.),Muhittin Ataman ve Nuh Ugan, Suudi Arabistan 2010, in Kemal nat ve Muhittin Ataman (Ed.), OrtadouYll 2010, stanbul: Alm Yaynlar, 2011, pp. 217-246.


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10

The Kngdomdoes not want

Iran, the bggestthreat percevedby Ryadh, to be

too powerul n theregon; thereore,

t has contnuedts ant-Iranan

rhetorc and polcy.The regonal Sha

ormaton underthe patronage o

Iran ater the Iraqnvason rrtates

the Saud Arabanregme.

In contrast to the ncreasng tenson between the US and Iran, Saud-Iranan relatons

have mproved. Although t s one o the rst countres that would conront wth Irann a regonal Sha-Sunn confct, a consderable mprovement can be observed n the

multdmensonal economc and poltcal relatons between the two states. Both states

are reluctant to transer to a Western-style poltcal system, opposed to the mport o

a Western-style lberal democratc understandng and poltcal regme n the Mddle

East, and preer to preserve a state structure based upon ther hstorcal hertage and

cultural codes.23 The Kngdom nvted Iran to the summt o the Gul Cooperaton Coun-

cl n 2007, whch was establshed aganst the Islamc Iran. Ths nvtaton resonated

both n the regon and the world. Ahmednejad attended the summt and oered a

cooperaton package consstng o twelve ponts, ncludng ree trade, ol, and natural

gas to the Councl. Ths demonstrated the possblty o cooperaton between the Gulcountres and Iran and the possblty or Arab countres to pursue nterdependent pol-

ces.24 Furthermore, actng on the nvtaton o Kng Abdullah, Iranan Presdent Ahme-

dnejad vsted Mecca and Medna to perorm Hajj n 2007. Durng hs vst, Ahmedne-

jad held a meetng wth the Kng that emphaszed cooperaton and soldarty among

the Muslm natons.

But n spte o these common atttudes and postve developments, the Kngdom does

not want Iran, the bggest threat perceved by Ryadh, to be too powerul n the regon;

thereore, t has contnued ts ant-Iranan rhetorc and polcy. The regonal Sha or-

maton under the patronage o Iran ater the Iraq nvason rrtates the Saud Araban

regme. Saud ocals ear that strengthenng Iran wll harm the legtmacy o ther

regme and nstgate ant-Sha sentments n ther country. Furthermore, Ryadh some-

tmes accuses Iran or the nstablty n Lebanon due to ts control on Hezbollah and

clams that Iran has tred to expand ts sphere o nfuence n the regon.

Wth the change o the regonal balance-o-power n avor o Iran ater the domnaton

o Sha poltcal partes n Iraq and Lebanon, Saud Araba has ncreased ts ant-Iranan

rhetorc. Saud Araba, who supported the ntatve o the UN Securty Councl perma-

nent members and Germany, pursued a pro-Amercan polcy n the case o the Iranan

nuclear ssue. Supportng a nuclear weapons-ree regon, Saud Araba called on Iran

to ulll the condtons set by the Treaty on the Non-Proleraton o Nuclear Weapons(NPT). As a result, Iran accused the Saud admnstraton or attackng the Sha Huth

guerllas n 2009 and 2010. Wth the break o the Arab Sprng, especally n the cases o

Bahran and Syra, these two countres have begun to pursue more radcal and more

sectaran polces aganst one another.

New Openings with New Partners

Saud Araba materalzed new oregn polcy openngs by nteractng wth countres

rom derent parts o the world. Ryadh recently began to mprove ts cooperaton

23. Saudi Arabia, Iran Denounce Bushs New Appeal or Democracy,Saudi Arabia, Iran Denounce Bushs New Appeal or Democracy, Daily Star, 2 Fabruary 2006.24. Krezden ABDye ran Mesaj,Krezden ABDye ran Mesaj, Aksiyon Dergisi, No: 679, 10 December 2007.


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11

Saud Arabamateralzed new

oregn polcyopenngs bynteractng wthcountres romderent parts othe world. Ryadhrecently mprovedclose relatons wthderent Asan,

European, andArcan countres.

wth global and regonal powers n order to decrease ts dependence on the US and

recently mproved close relatons wth derent Asan, European, and Arcan countres.The most recent mprovement n Ryadhs relatons wth Chna, Inda, and Russa can be

analyzed n terms o ts dmnshng ts dependence on the US. As an ndcaton o an

ncreasng ndependent oregn polcy, the Kngdom welcomed ant-Amercan leaders

such as Chavez o Venezuela, Ahmednejad o Iran, and Putn o Russa to the country.

Kng Abdullah took sgncant steps wth several Asan states. Durng hs rst year as

kng n 2006, he made a hstorc 14-day vst Chna, Inda, Pakstan and Malaysa accom-

paned by ve planes ull o mnsters, bureaucrats, and busnessmen. Some observers

consdered ths vst as a strategc change and rebalancng o the Kngdoms oregn

polcy and the begnnng or a new perod or the state.25 The Kng dscussed the pos-

sblty o cooperaton between the second bggest consumer o ol n the world (Chna)

and the bggest exporter o ol (Saud Araba) especally n energy and trade sectors. As

a result, Chna has occuped a more sgncant place n Saud oregn trade. By 2010,

when the trade between the two countres reached almost $40 bllon, Saud Araba

became the bggest trade partner o Chna n the Mddle East. And when Chna sgned

a ree trade agreement wth the Gul Cooperaton Councl, Saud Araba gave perms-

son to Chnese energy companes to search or ol and natural gas.26 Kng Abdullah

became the rst kng to vst Inda n ty years and Pakstan n thrty years. By vstng

these two adversary powers at the same tme, he demonstrated the new multlateral

oregn polcy orentaton o the country.Saud Araba has also developed blateral relatons wth Russa and Japan. In 2007,

Russan Presdent Putn became the rst Russan leader to vst the Kngdom. The two

countres agreed to cooperaton on regonal and global questons, and the Iraq and

Palestnan problems n partcular. The Saud admnstraton tred to get rd o ts West-

ern dependence by mprovng ts blateral relatons wth Russa n both economc and

tradng sectors as well as n securty and weapon areas. Japanese Prme Mnster Shnzo

Abe vsted the Kngdom on 28 Aprl 2007 and met wth Kng Abdullah and many other

Saud authortes. Durng hs vst, Abe promoted blateral cooperaton n economc ar-

eas such as energy, nvestment, trade, and development.27 Steps were taken n order

to establsh a multlayered relatonshp between the two countres. The two countressgned an agreement to or cooperaton on ar servces n 2008 and a conventon to

avod double taxaton n 2010.28

Saud Araba ntated new dalogues wth derent European countres as well. The

Kng made ocal vsts to Span, France, and Poland on 18-24 June 2007. Many agree-

ments were sgned durng ths rst vst to Span. Whle n France, he dscussed many

25. Harsh V. Pant, Saudi Arabia Woos China and India,Harsh V. Pant, Saudi Arabia Woos China and India, Middle East Quarterly, v. 13, n. 4, Autumn 2006.26. Chris ambelis, Shiting Sands in the Gul: The I ran Calculus in China-Saudi Arabia Relations,Chris ambelis, Shiting Sands in the Gul: The Iran Calculus in China-Saudi Arabia Relations, China Brie: AJournal o Analysis and Inormation, c. 10, n. 10, May 13, 2010, s. 4-7.27. Abdullah, Abe to Discuss Key Issues,Abdullah, Abe to Discuss Key Issues, Arab News, 28 April 2007.

28. Signing o the Convention between the Government o Japan and the Government o the Kingdom o SaudiSigning o the Convention between the Government o Japan and the Government o the Kingdom o SaudiArabia or the Avoidance o Double Taxation and the Prevention o Tax Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income,Ministry o Foreign Afairs o Japan Web Page , 15 November 2010, http://www.moa.go.jp/announce/announ-ce/2010/11/1115_02.html.


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12

Durng hs rst yearas kng n 2006,

he made a hstorc14-day vst Chna,

Inda, Pakstanand Malaysa

accompanedby ve planes

ull o mnsters,bureaucrats, and

busnessmen.

Some observersconsdered ths

vst as a strategcchange and

rebalancng o theKngdoms oregn

polcy and thebegnnng or a

new perod or the

state.

regonal and nternatonal ssues such as Palestne, Iraq, Lebanon, nuclear proleraton

and nternatonal terrorsm. He became the rst Saud kng to vst Poland. The kng vs-ted our other European countres (England, Italy, Vatcan and Germany) n November

2007. Durng hs hstorc vst to Italy, he vsted the Vatcan and met wth Pope Benedct,

the leader o the Catholc world. The Kng met wth Presdent Horst Kohler and Prme

Mnster Angela Merkel n Germany. Leaders o England and France vsted the Kng-

dom n return n 2008 and dscussed many poltcal and economc ssues. The Kngdom

has sgned varous agreements wth European states to mprove ts relatons n der-

ent ssue areas. For example, Ryadh sgned an agreement wth Sweden (the Swedsh

Deense Research Agency) n 2005 and renewed t n 2010. Accordng to that agree-

ment, Sweden has helped Saud Araba, ts largest tradng partner n the Mddle East

wth the constructon o an arms actory that wll produce ant-tank mssles. 29 Whle

Sweden sold Ryadh some 330 mllon n deense technology n 2011, Fnland has also

receved an export permt to delver 36 grenade launchers to the Kngdom. In addton,

Germany s preparng 270 Leopard 2 tanks or delvery and the Unted Kngdom s pro-

vdng ghter jets. The EU s currently the worlds largest exporter o weapons to Saud

Araba. The EU countres sold mltary equpments and lcenses worth $4.34 bllon to

the Kngdom n 2010.30 May 2012 was declared as Europe Month n Saud Araba n

order to mprove cultural and socal nteractons between the two sdes.

III. RELATIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND SAUDI ARABIATurksh-Saud relatons began wth the emergence o the al-Saud Famly as a poltcal

actor n the second hal o the 18th century. Saud Araba was establshed by al-Saud

amly ater the Frst World War as a result o a long struggle aganst the Ottoman Turks.

The al-Saud amly revolted many tmes aganst the Ottomans rom the end o 18th cen-

tury to the 1920s; all Saud revolts, whch were both poltcal and relgous, were cracked

down by Ottoman (and Egyptan) orces. Because o the confctng poltcal and relgous

understandngs between the Wahhab Sauds and the tradtonal Sunn Ottomans, the

negatve percepton o Turks and Turkey n the Kngdom, and the nfuence o the Brtsh

colonalsts, blateral relatons between Ankara and Ryadh were generally characterzed

by confct. Confctng poltcal regmes and derent economc and socal structurescontrbuted to ths tenson. Whle the Kngdom employs the shara/relgous law, has a

tradtonal socal structure, and an autarchc economc system, Turkey has a strctly secu-

lar poltcal system, a relatvely Westernzed socal structure, and a lberal economc sys-

tem. Even though Turkey became the rst country to recognze the Saud Kngdom when

t was establshed n 1932, and more than 100,000 Turks lved n the Kngdom, blateral

relatons between the two states remaned low-prole.

29. Anger over Swedens Secret Saudi Arms Plant,Anger over Swedens Secret Saudi Arms Plant, Aljazeera Web Page, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/euro-pe/2012/03/20123718144905918.html.30. EU Natons Sell the Most Arms to Saud Araba, Der Spiegel, http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/eu-makes-controversial-weapons-sales-to-saudi-arabia-a-822288.html.


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13

Due to therderent regme

types anddeologcally-orented oregnpolces, bothTurkey and SaudAraba dd notexpand mucheort to mprovether blateral

relatons; as aresult, relatonsbetween the twocountres dd notmprove urtherthroughout theKemalst perod.

Relations during the Ottoman and Republican Eras (1745-2002)

The Wahhab movement emerged as the most mportant relgous and poltcal threat

to the Ottoman rule n the Araban Pennsula. Wahhabs, who tred to establsh a state

based on the radcal and revolutonary relgous thoughts o Abdulwahhab, ought

wth the tradtonal Sunn Ottomans. When Abdul Azz bn Saud nvaded most o the

Araban Pennsula, ncludng Hejaz, at the begnnng o the 19th century, the Ottomans

attacked the Wahhab orces wth the help o Muhammad Al o Egypt. The Wahhab

orces were deeated and some o ther leaders were sent to Istanbul where they were

executed. However, n a very short perod o tme, Turk bn Abdullah gathered hs el-

low Wahhabs and declared the rst Wahhab state n 1821. Although t was not an

ndependent state, t was ree rom Ottoman domnaton. The second Saud state was

establshed n 1902 by Abdulazz bn Saud, who made an agreement wth the Brtsh

government durng the Balkan and the Frst World wars or oregn support. The Brt-

sh promsed bn Saud all lands that he occuped or hs pro-Brtsh polcy and support

aganst the Ottomans. Abdulazz bn Saud, who captured the Hassa regon n 1913 and

Hejaz ater the Frst World War, proclamed hmsel as the Kng o Najd and Hejaz. The

thrd Saud state was recognzed n 1927 and was renamed n 1932 as the Kngdom

o Saud Araba.

Wth the sgnng o the Lausanne Treaty, the Republc o Turkey pursued a status quo-

orented oregn polcy and accordngly recognzed the ndependence o states ound-

ed on the ormer terrtores o the Ottoman State. Turkey sgned a rendshp treatywth the newly-ounded Saud state. Nevertheless, due to ther derent regme types

and deologcally-orented oregn polces, both Turkey and Saud Araba dd not ex-

pand much eort to mprove ther blateral relatons; as a result, relatons between the

two countres dd not mprove urther throughout the Kemalst perod. Throughout

the 20th century, only Kng Fasal vsted Turkey n 1966 or several hours to attend an

nternatonal conerence. No Saud kng ever pad an ocal vst to Turkey throughout

the 20th century n the context o blateral relatons.

When sgncant developments n blateral relatons began to take place n Turkeys

poltcal and economc realm durng the zal perod, Turkey ntated a process o com-

prehensve economc and poltcal restructurng. In ths ramework, zalst Turkey m-

proved ts relatons wth Muslm countres, the Mddle Eastern countres n partcular,

and embraced a postve approach towards Saud Araba n order to acheve ts ex-

port-orented economc model and to secure ts ol demand. Improvng relatons were

ollowed by blateral vsts between the two countres. Whle Presdent Kenan Evren

and Prme Mnster Turgut zal vsted Ryadh n 1984 and 1985 respectvely, the Saud

Crown Prnce Abdullah bn Abdulazz came to Turkey n 1984. Turksh prvate actors

such as constructon companes also began to nvest n the Kngdom.

Blateral relatons between Ankara and Ryadh entered a new phase durng the rst

Gul War. Turkeys regonal polcy that was n lne wth the UN Securty Councl Reso-luton and the Amercan poston attaned Saud condence and apprecaton. Saud

Araba gave $1.2 bllon to the Turksh government and $1 bllon to the Turksh de-


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14

Saud Arabapreerred to

mprove tscooperatonwth Turkey

under Erdoansleadershp and

to pursue smlarpolces towards

the regon. Thenew leadershp

o AK Party andother natonal

and regonaldevelopments

contrbuted to thenormalzaton and

mprovement orelatons betweenthe two countres

snce 2003.

ense und n order to compensate Turkeys economc losses durng the war. As a sgn

o mprovng blateral relatons, Turksh Prme Mnster Sleyman Demrel vsted theKngdom n 1993. Wth the end o the Cold War, both countres pursued smlar oregn

polcy orentatons. That s, whle they contnued to ally themselves wth the West, both

Ankara and Ryadh began to dversy ther oregn polcy approaches.

Due to the poltcal nstablty n Turksh domestc poltcs n the 1990s, there were ups

and downs n blateral relatons. Blateral relatons mproved at least n rhetorc dur-

ng Erbakans short-term government n 1996, but the straned poltcal clmate n the

atermath o the 28 February post-modern coup caused another rupture. The radcal

secularst understandng o the mltary-backed coalton government n Turkey re-

versed the route o blateral relatons and Ankara returned to ts tradtonal approach omstrust and neglect. Some low-scale crses such as the demolshment o Ajyad Tower,

bult n Mecca durng the Ottomans, created urther resentment between Ryadh and

Ankara. However, when the AK Party came to power n 2002, a new perod began n

relatons between the two countres.

Relations during the AK Party Period (2003-present)

The AK Party began to restructure Turkeys domestc poltcs and oregn relatons, n-

cludng ts relatons wth Muslm countres. The Party reorented ts oregn polcy by

declarng sgncant prncples such as zero-problems wth neghbors, maxmum co-operaton, and pro-actve, dynamc, and multdmensonal oregn polcy. In ths sense,

Turkey tred to solve blateral problems and to ncrease cooperaton wth other coun-

tres, neghborng countres n partcular. Parallel to ths new understandng, the AK

Party mproved ts relatons wth Saud Araba, whch was stll dependent on the West.

Both Ankara and Ryadh attempted to decrease ther dependence on global pow-

ers. Thereore, each country pursued a regonal polcy that dd not alenate the other

and dd not ncrease ther dependence on the West. Whle Turkey preerred a regional

polcy attemptng to solve regionalproblems va regionaldynamcs, Saud Araba pur-

sued a regonal polcy that dd not margnalze Turkey n the Mddle East. Saud leaders

thought that Turkey was margnalzed because o ts ncreased regonal ntatves,

Ankara could get closer to Israel and the West and turn ts back on regonal countres,

whch would be contrary to the nterests o Arab peoples. The Saud Admnstraton

eared the re-establshment o a new Turksh-Israel allance n the regon. Through-

out the Kemalst leadershp perod, the more Turkey mproved ts relatons wth Israel

and the West, the more t turned ts back on the Arab peoples. Thereore, Saud Araba

preerred to mprove ts cooperaton wth Turkey under Erdoans leadershp and to

pursue smlar polces towards the regon.31 The new leadershp o AK Party and other

natonal and regonal developments contrbuted to the normalzaton and mprove-

ment o relatons between the two countres snce 2003.

31. Trkiyeyi sraile Kaptrmayalm,Trkiyeyi sraile Kaptrmayalm, El-Cezire Gazetesi, Bayaz, 3 Mays 2005ten eviren Radikal,4 May 2005.


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15

Saud Araba and Turkey adopted relatvely ndependent regonal polces and agreed

to cooperate n mantanng regonal stablty. Both countres reorented ther regonaloregn polces as a result o domestc, regonal, and nternatonal developments. In the

atermath o the 9/11 attacks, when al-Qaeda, whch caused the deteroraton o Saud

Araban relatons wth the West, began to challenge the authorty o al-Saud amly,

the Kngdom decded to cooperate wth Turkey aganst regonal transnatonal threats.

The struggle aganst transnatonal terrorsm aggravated smlar concerns among Saud

and Turksh authortes and the two began to understand and recognze ther polt-

cal derences. Whle Saud Araba began to acknowledge Turkeys pro-Western polcy

and ts secular poltcal system, Turkey gave up the otherzaton o the Kngdom. And

although they were unable to stop the events n Iraq, both countres were concerned

about the Amercan nvason and adopted smlar stances n the Iraqs Neghborng

Countres Platorm.

Ater the ncrease n mstrust between the Western countres and Saud Araba as a

result o the September 11 attacks, the Kngdom began to look to alternatve countres

or partnershp, especally or nvestment and economc cooperaton. Turkey, as one

o the astest growng economes n the world and as an emergng regonal power,

was consdered one o the best canddates or economc and poltcal cooperaton.

The Saud admnstraton began to see Turkey as a mltary power to balance regonal

threats and to prevent nstabltes, and as an economy wth whch t could ncrease

blateral trade and ntate jont projects.In ths context, Saud Araba and Turkey launched many economc ntatves. They

sgned the treaty establshng the Turksh-Saud Busness Councl n 2003. In May 2005,

Ankara and Ryadh decded to establsh an nvestment und n order to encourage Gul

country prvate and governmental nvestments n Turkey; the und s to be governed

by an nternatonal body and to be coordnated by the Istanbul Chamber o Commerce

and Jeddah Chamber o Trade and Commerce.32 Moreover, Turkey and Saud Araba

agreed to cooperate on regonal poltcal and socal problems and to utlze regonal

dynamcs n solvng these problems. They sgned a cooperaton agreement on 12 Feb-

ruary 2005 to ght transnatonal terrorsm.33 Thus, poltcal eltes o the Kngdom have

tred to benet rom Turkeys mltary, poltcal, and economc leverage n ther dealngswth regonal poltcal, economc, and cultural problems.

One o the best ndcatons o the mprovement o blateral relatons between the two

captals has been the hgh level ocal vsts. The rst vst by Kng Abdullah to Turkey

n 2006 should be consdered a mlestone n Turksh-Saud relatons. Ths vst was hs-

torcal due to several actors. It was the rst top-level vst rom Saud Araba to Turkey

(besdes Kng Fasals ew hours n Istanbul).34

The partcpaton o a large delegaton made ths meetng even more sgncant. Un-

lke the tradtonal royal trps, Kng Abdullah vsted Ankara wth a large delegaton

32. Arap Sermayesine Fon,Arap Sermayesine Fon, Radikal, 10 May 2005.33. P. K. Abdol Ghaoor, Kingdom, Turkey Ink Landmark Security Pact,P. K. Abdol Ghaoor, Kingdom, Turkey Ink Landmark Security Pact, Arab News, 13 February 2005.34. Suudi Arabistan Kral Trkiyedeydi,Suudi Arabistan Kral Trkiyedeydi, Anlay, September 2006, n. 7.

One o the bestndcatons o the

mprovement oblateral relatonsbetween the twocaptals has beenthe hgh levelocal vsts. Therst vst by KngAbdullah to Turkeyn 2006 should

be consdereda mlestone nTurksh-Saudrelatons.


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16

ncludng 400 mnsters, busnessmen, bureaucrats, and amly members.35 The two

governments sgned many agreements durng ths hstorcal vst. Turksh and Saudbusnessmen and entrepreneurs sgned many agreements or common nvestments.36

Busnessmen rom the two countres exchanged vews n order to nd nvestment op-

portuntes and mprove commercal relatons. Saud publc and prvate nsttutons

planned to nvest $25 bllon n energy, nance, toursm, petroleum chemcals, and

communcatons areas n Turkey. Turksh busnessmen and companes currently han-

dle $30 bllon n projects n Saud Araba.37

The vst o 32,000 busnessmen and toursts to Turkey n 2005 also ndcates the n-

creasng Saud nterest n Turkey.38 Just beore the global economc crss, blateral trade

volume between Ankara and Ryadh ncreased to more than $5.5 bllon. It decreased

somewhat because o the crss, but remans much hgher than t used to be. Whle

Turkey sells ndustral materals, textles, agrcultural products, machnes, automobles,

and smlar ndustral goods, t manly mports ol rom the Kngdom.39 Saud Araba and

Turkey have also sgned sx agreements regardng poltcal consultaton, cooperaton

n exchangng state archves, encouragng and mantanng nvestments, preventon

o double taxaton, cooperaton n the health sector, and transportaton o passengers

and cargo. Kng Abdullahs vst added a new securty dmenson nto the blateral re-

latonshp. The natonal and regonal securty questons were major dscusson ponts

snce the regonal securty vacuum ncreased as a result o developments n Iraq, Iran,

Lebanon, and Palestne. The Kngdom has been tryng to get reduce ts Amercan de-pendency n the wake o 9/11 attacks n lght o the ncreasng Western crtques o

Wahhab Islam and the Saud Admnstraton. Beng concerned about the unlateral

and confctual Amercan/Israel-centered regonal polces, the Saud government m-

proved ts mltary and poltcal relatons wth Turkey. Despte the Saud dependence

on Amercan weaponry, the Saud authortes began to exchange regonal vews wth

ther Turksh counterparts.

Kng Abdullah revsted Turkey n 2007 n order to congratulate Abdullah Gl on hs

presdental electon and to exchange vews wth Turksh authortes about the Mddle

Eastern peace process. Presdent Gl welcomed the Kng at the arport and awarded

hm the State Medal o Honor, whch has been granted to only seven oregn states-men. In return, n a ceremony held at ankaya Presdental Palace, Kng Abdullah grant-

ed the Kng Abdulazz Medal o the Frst Degree to Presdent Gl and awarded the

Abdulazz Legon o Honor to Prme Mnster Erdoan.40 Durng ths second vst, the

two countres emphaszed the necessty to dversy and mprove relatons. Presdent

Gl and Kng Abdullah sgned a memorandum o understandng or strengthenng

35. Saudi King Abdullah to Visit Turkey on August 8,Saudi King Abdullah to Visit Turkey on August 8, Todays Zaman, 3 September 2006.36. Kral 6 Anlama, Dostluk ve Milyar Dolarlk Yatrm Brakt,Kral 6 Anlama, Dostluk ve Milyar Dolarlk Yatrm Brakt, Yeni aak, 12 August 2006.37. M. Ghazanar Al Khan, Kingdom, Turkey Set to Boost Trade Ties, Arab News, 11 August 2006.

38. Saudi King Abdullah to Visit Turkey on August 8,Saudi King Abdullah to Visit Turkey on August 8, Todays Zaman, 3 September 2006.39. Suudi Arabistan Ulke Bulteni, Haziran 2010_Tr.Pd,Suudi Arabistan Ulke Bulteni, Haziran 2010_Tr.Pd, D Ekonomik likiler Kurulu, http://www.deik.org.tr/KonseyIcerik/1270/Suudi_Arabistan_Blteni.html.

40. Al Madalyan Ver Madalyam,Al Madalyan Ver Madalyam, Radikal, 10 November 2007.

Kng Abdullahrevsted Turkey

n 2007 n orderto congratulate

Abdullah Gl onhs presdentalelecton and to

exchange vewswth Turksh

authortes aboutthe Mddle Eastern

peace process.


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17

poltcal and economc cooperaton between the two countres and a conventon on

the avodance o double taxaton. Havng smlar opnons about the problems n theMddle East, Ryadh and Ankara shared vews regardng the Palestnan, Lebanese, Iraq

and Kurdsh ssues, and voced opposton to both Iranan regonal domnance and US

nterventon n regonal ssues.

Whle Turkey has been pursung polcy that does not alenate Iran n regonal ssues,

Saud Araba accelerated a process o rapprochement wth Turkey. Although Ankara

and Ryadh try to be n contact wth Iran, they ntated a process o establshng a Sunn

cooperaton aganst an Iran-led Shte regonal block. For example, upon the nvtaton

o another Sunn state, Pakstan, mnsters o oregn aars rom seven Sunn countres

gathered n Islamabad on 25 February 2007. Pakstan, Turkey, Saud Araba, Malaysa,

Indonesa, Egypt, and Jordan attended the meetng where the countres tred to adopt

a common atttude towards regonal problems. In the jont declaraton, the prorty

was gven to the Palestnan ssue, the terrtoral ntegrty o Iraq, and Lebanese poltcs.

These countres stated that the problem regardng Irans nuclear energy producton

must be resolved through peaceul means.41

Parallel to the close relatons between publc nsttutons o the two countres, prvate

sectors also ncreased ther cooperaton. For nstance, The Natonal Commercal Bank,

whch s the largest bank n Saud Araba, pad $1.8 bllon and acqured 60 percent o

the shares o the Trkye Fnans Katlm Bankas belong to lker and Boydak groups. 42

raat Bank was granted a ully authorzed bankng lcense n Saud Araba n 2008. raatBank announced that t wll establsh seven addtonal branches n the country ater ts

rst branch opened n Jeddah.43 Moreover, one o the leadng Turksh communcaton

companes, Yksel Consortum won a water transportaton tender n Saud Araba worth

$383 mllon. A Turksh constructon rm, Yksel Constructon, also won the Saud Araba

Eastern Regon Water Ppelne Project tender o $372 mllon n March 2008.44

The strong relatonshp between Saud Araba and Turkey has contnued n recent years.

Multlateral actve oregn polces adopted by Turkey and Saud Araba nfuenced the

two countres to cooperate on regonal and blateral ssues. Saud Arabas Che o the

Naval Forces Admral Fahd bn Abdullah Mohammed al-Suud and the head o Shura

Councl Abdullah Bn Mohammed Bn Ibrahm al-Shekh pad ocal vsts to Turkey n2009. In addton to ocal vsts, the head o the Saud Araban Securty Councl Prnce

Bender Bn Sultan Bn Abdul-Azz al-Suud and Prnce Abdulazz Bn Mohammed Bn

Fahd al-Suud spent ther holday together wth ther amles n Turkey n the same year.

Turksh Mnster o Foregn Aars Al Babacan accompaned a delegaton vstng Jed-

dah n September 2008 to partcpate n the rst mnsteral meetng o the Hgh Level

Strategc Dalogue mechansm between the Gul Cooperaton Councl (GCC) countres

41. Ortadou in Snni Dayanmas,Ortadou in Snni Dayanmas, Radikal, 26 February 2007.42. Trkiye Finans Suudi NCBye Satld,Trkiye Finans Suudi NCBye Satld,Aksiyon, n. 659, 23 July 2007.43. iraat Ciddede ube Aacak,iraat Ciddede ube Aacak, Hrriyet, 6 February 2009.44. Turkish Firm Wins Saudi Project,Turkish Firm Wins Saudi Project, The New Anatolian, 3 July 2007.

The strongrelatonshp

between SaudAraba and Turkeyhas contnuedn recent years.Multlateralactve oregnpolces adoptedby Ankara andRyadh nfuenced

the two countresto cooperateon regonal andblateral ssues.


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18

and Turkey.45 It was the rst regular consultaton process between the GCC and a coun-

try. Babacan underlned that nsttutonalzaton o relatons wth the GCC countreswll serve common nterests and pave the way or cooperaton. Mnster Babacan took

part n the meetng held by the Organzaton o Islamc Conerence n Jeddah at the be-

gnnng o 2009 whle Prme Mnster Recep Tayyp Erdoan pad a one-day vst to R-

yadh.46 In February 2009, Presdent Abdullah Gl pad a vst to Saud Araba. Gl called

on Sauds to use Turkey or economc nvestment, educaton, toursm, and health ser-

vces. Presdent Gl, who was welcomed at the arport by the Kng, became the rst

presdent o a Muslm country who addressed the Saud Shura consultatve assembly.47

Poltcal, economc, and socal relatons between Turkey and the Kngdom contnued

to mprove n 2010 and 2011 wth mutual and rhythmc vsts. Among others, Turk-

sh Prme Mnster Erdoan vsted the Kngdom twce n 2010. Durng hs second vst,

Erdoan was awarded wth the Kng Fasal Internatonal Prze, whch s consdered the

Nobel Prze o the Arab world. Ths prze was awarded due to hs servces to Islam; or

example Erdoans courageous conduct towards Israel Presdent Peres durng the Da-

vos meetng n 2009.48 Ankara and Ryadh sgned a mltary cooperaton agreement

durng Saud Deputy Deense Mnster Prnce Sultans vst n May 2010. Ater sgnng

treates to protect mutual nvestments and to avod double taxaton, Turksh-Saud

trade ncreased to $4.65 bllon by the end o 2010. Accordng to the Turksh Mnstry o

Culture and Toursm, the number o Saud bookngs ncreased by 75 percent.49

Turkey and Saud Araba had been strongly dependent on the Western, especallyAmercan, support or decades. Recently both countres have tred to dversy ther

oregn relatons wthout abandonng ther rendly relatons wth the West. On the one

hand, they have tred to mprove ther relatons wth other global powers to decrease

ther dependence on the West. On the other, they have mproved blateral and multlat-

eral regonal cooperaton to decrease ther dependence on global powers. The above-

mentoned developments are ndcatons o the mprovement o blateral relatons n

all spheres.

IV. SAUDI AND TURKISH APPROACHES TOWARDS THE ARAB

REVOLTS: POLICY IMPLICATIONS

Consderng ts large populaton, large geography, and rch natural resources, t s clear

that Saud Araba wll reman a sgncant player n Mddle Eastern poltcs. Kng Abdul-

lah, who ntated a comprehensve reorm program, has been pursung a more prag-

matc, ratonal, and economy-orented oregn polcy. He declared that Sauds cannot

reman the same whle the world changes, and he accordngly bult up a regonal and

45. Trkiye ile KK Arasnda Mutabakat Muhtras mzaland,Trkiye ile KK Arasnda Mutabakat Muhtras mzaland, Hrriyet, 3 September 2008.46. Babakan Erdoan, Suudi Arabistana Gitti,Babakan Erdoan, Suudi Arabistana Gitti, Hrryet, 3 January 2009.47. Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, Turkey and Saudi Arabia: The Buildup to Syria,Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, Turkey and Saudi Arabia: The Buildup to Syria, Todays Zaman, 18 August 2011;

eynep Grcanl, Glden Suudi Arabistana 4 ar, Hrriyet, 3 February 2009; Gl: Terrle imiz Olmad,Hr-riyet, 4 February 2009.48. Erdoan Awarded Nobel Prze o Arab World, Hurriyet Daily News, 1 Aralk 2010.49. Al-Qassemi, Turkey and Saudi Arabia: The Buildup to Syria,Al-Qassemi, Turkey and Saudi Arabia: The Buildup to Syria,

Turksh PrmeMnster Erdoan

vsted theKngdom twcen 2010. Durnghs second vst,

Erdoan wasawarded wth

the Kng FasalInternatonal Prze,

whch s consdered

the Nobel Prze othe Arab world.


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19

global network to develop blateral and multlateral relatons wth countres all around

the world n all elds by scatterng dependences or managed mult-dependence.50

However, rapdly changng global balances, the rsng ant-Islamsm n the West and

regonal nstabltes have attracted regonal and global nterventon nto Saud pol-

tcs. The Kngdom has to determne ts oregn polcy orentaton accordng to both

regonal and global developments. Recent poltcal openngs o the Kngdom are n-

dcatons o a new perod o the countrys poltcal and dplomatc orentaton. Snce

Kng Abdullah came to power, the Kngdom has restructured and dversed ts oregn

polcy and ntated a process o ntegraton wth the world communty va nternal and

nternatonal openngs and membershp n nternatonal organzatons.

By ollowng a mult-lateral and mult-dmensonal oregn polcy Saud Araba and Tur-key emerged as the most nfuental regonal powers. Addtonally, the possble pro-

ducton o nuclear weapons by Iran, the securty o energy routes, and the Palestnan

queston made the two countres more nterdependent. Both Ankara and Ryadh op-

pose the producton o nuclear weapons by Iran or any other regonal country. Both

countres, whch depend on the stablty o the energy market, deend the securty o

energy routes. And Turkey and the Kngdom see the creaton o a Palestnan state as a

pre-condton o regonal stablty.

The Arab revolt, whch has determned Mddle Eastern poltcs snce ts ncepton at

the end o 2010, requred urther cooperaton between Turkey and the Kngdom. There

are several actors that sgncantly nfuence both Saud and Turksh regonal oregn

polces snce the outbreak o the Arab revolts. The ramcaton o the revolts has been

a change n regonal power balances, and these new balances wll nfuence Mddle

Eastern poltcs and Turksh-Saud relatons as well.

The continuation o the status quo and the pace o the changes

Whle both Turkey and the Saud Kngdom do not support ruptures n the regonal

poltcal system, they do not thnk the same thng about the contnuaton o the status

quo and the pace o regonal changes. Even though they der on the speed o chang-es, both Saud Araba and Turkey preer a gradual change and reorm n the regonal

system, rather than revolutons, whch may cause chaotc developments. They preer

t to mantan regonal stablty and both asked or a delberate process o change. But

once they thnk that poltcal and socal change s unavodable, they begn to support

popular demands. Thereore, both countres developed ther relatons wth all regon-

al states and all regmes, secular or tradtonal, n order to mantan regonal stablty.

Whle Saud Araba has been supportng Islamc groups n general, whch are the lead-

ng actors o the revolts, Turkey has been developng good relatons wth all ethnc and

sectaran groups, ncludng the Islamc ones.

50. Gerd Nonneman, Introduction, in Gerd Nonneman (ed.),Gerd Nonneman, Introduction, in Gerd Nonneman (ed.), Analyzing Middle East Foreign Policies and theRelationship with Europe, New York: Routledge, 2005, pp. 1-5, p. 3.

The Arab revolt,whch has

determned MddleEastern poltcssnce ts nceptonat the end o 2010,requred urthercooperatonbetween Turkeyand the Kngdom.


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20

Saud Araba has been spendng huge amounts o money and sendng mltary troops,

as n the Bahran case, to keep the wave o the revolts away rom ts country as much aspossble. Saud Araba wll contnue to try buyng alles and regonal stablty by spend-

ng more money. However, Saud leaders wll soon learn that there are many thngs

that money and the wealth o the country cannot buy such as reedom and ethnc and

cultural values. Whle the Kngdom s qute successul n provdng bread, t does not

have the poltcal wll n provdng reedom or ts people.

Turkey, on the other hand, asks regonal countres, ncludng Saud Araba, to ntate

comprehensve reorm programs to provde both wealth and reedom or ther peo-

ples. Wth ts strong economc structure, ts stable poltcal system, and ts nfuental

sot power, Turkey needs to encourage Ryadh, one o the potental partners, to bemore responsve to ts peoples demands. However, cooperaton wth pro-status quo

Ryadh wll erode the power o Turkey n the eye o the Arab revolutonares. Thereore,

or Saud Araba, actng wth Turkey requres supportng the revolutonares n Lbya,

Tunsa, and Syra. Cooperaton between Turkey and Saud Araba wll benet Saud

Araba more than Turkey. Actng wth Turkey, the most popular regonal country n the

Arab streets, wll brng the Kngdom closer to the revolutonares and new regonal

power crcles.

Regional power balances and the threat rom Iran

One o the man pllars o Saud and Turksh regonal polces s the ear o Iran and

balancng aganst possble Iranan hegemony. For nstance, both countres tred to

contrbute to the reconstructon process o the country and supported Iyad Allav dur-

ng the Iraq parlamentaran electons held n 2010, n order to ensure Iraq was away

rom Iranan control. However, Ankara and Ryadh pursue derent polces regardng

Iran. Whle Turkey manly ollows a supra-sectaran regonal polcy and oppose Western

mltary nterventon, the Kngdom encourages the West to punsh Iran. Saud Araba

s especally concerned about the Iranan objectve o creatng a Sha regon (Shia Cres-

cent) n the Mddle East. Ths would contan Saud actvtes and compel the Kngdom

to make all ts regonal plans based upon ant-Iranansm.

In ths context, Saud Araba seeks cooperaton wth Turkey, another regonal Sunn state

concerned about Iranan regonal hegemony. Saud leaders are convnced that wthout

Turkey, whch nowadays clams nfuence n global power calculatons as well as n the

Arab streets, t s qute dcult to overcome the regonal rvalry wth Iran. The longtme

regonal balance between the moderate axs o Ryadh-Caro and the radcal Tehran-Da-

mascus axs ended wth the revolts n 2011. The Arab revolts struck countres rom both

axes and harmed both sdes. The loss o Egypt meant more or Saud Araba, snce t was

not only the loss o an ally, but also changed the regonal balances prevously n avor o

the Kngdom. For todays regonal power calculatons n whch Egypt lost ts leverage, theKngdom needs Turkey, the only possble regonal power to ll the gap as an ally n ts

struggle aganst Iran, whch stll uses a confctual dscourse or the Mddle East.

Whle SaudAraba has been

supportng Islamcgroups n general,

whch are theleadng actorso the revolts,

Turkey has beendevelopng good

relatons wthall ethnc and

sectaran groups,ncludng theIslamc ones.


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21

The type o political regimes: new circumstances, new political elites

A new tenson lne between Islamc and secular groups emerged n the regon. So ar all

regmes overthrown by the rebels (Tunsa, Egypt, Lbya) were secular authortaran re-

publcan regmes. Two other secular republcs (Syra and Yemen) are aced wth strong

popular protests and opposton movements. I the emergng Islamc governments ex-

clude secular groups and natonal mnortes, they wll contnue the ethnc and/or sec-

taran poltcs o the prevous regmes whch may cause urther poltcal, economc, and

socal nstablty n ther respectve countres. Upon the possblty o beng crtczed by

global powers, especally the Western powers, Saud Araba may turn to Turkey or sup-

portng ts regonal polcy o consoldatng tradtonal admnstratons. Turkey, whose

concern about the regonal chaos may nfuence ts domestc as well as oregn polcy,may support the Saud regonal polcy and preer a gradual change o the tradtonal

monarches and an evoluton o the regonal poltcal system.

Saud Araba had been supportng Islamc movements untl very recently aganst secu-

lar republcan regmes. However, one o the man concerns o Saud leaders s the suc-

cess o Islamc movements whch wll cause the eroson o the bele n the supremacy

o monarchc poltcal systems. The emergence o elected Islamc governments wll

erode the legtmacy o regonal amly admnstratons they can delver what they

have promsed. Thereore, n the long run, the Kngdom mght ace ncreasng pressure

rom popular and democratc Islamc movements. Cooperaton wth Turkey, the mostdemocratc country o the regon and another country that has close relatonshp wth

Islamc movements, wll strengthen the Saud relatons wth the newly emergng Is-

lamc regmes. Saud Araba and Turkey need to act together or conclaton between

the new poltcal powers and poltcal eltes o the old regmes. However, the poltcal

partcpaton o youth and women, who make up 65 percent o the total populaton (28

mllon), remans to be solved. Saud authortes are reluctant to speed up socal and

poltcal reorms.

Saud Araba and Turkey pursue smlar polces towards the regonal Islamc move-

ments, whch have been leadng the Arab revolts along wth other parts o socety.Whle the Kngdom began to queston the new dscourse o the Islamst groups, t has

been supportng Islamc movements or decades. On the other hand, Turkey began

to mprove ts relatons wth these groups only ater the AK Party took power. Islamc

movements, whch have replaced the natonalsts o the Cold War, now represent the

powers o change. Whle Saud Araba was supportng the status quo durng the Cold

War era, t can lead the powers o change (Islamc movements) usng a huge amount

o money or nternal stablty and poltcal legtmzaton or oregn recognton. By

dong so, Saud Araba could dverge the Islamc movements rom Iranan confctual

dscourse and buld an area o regonal actve cooperaton. Saud Araba and Turkey

can (and should) work together n convncng Western powers about the Islamc move-

ments that they are legtmate poltcal actors reranng rom all knds o llegalty.

Upon thepossblty o

beng crtczedby global powers,especally theWestern powers,Saud Araba mayturn to Turkey orsupportng tsregonal polcyo consoldatng

tradtonaladmnstratons.


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Relations with the West: Close relations with the West

Both Saud Araba and Turkey have had close relatons wth the Western world, the US

n partcular, or decades. Both countres benetted rom the Amercan nuclear um-

brella throughout the Cold War. However, as the US securty umbrella lost nfuence n

the regon and Saud-Amercan relatons began to sour post-9/11, both Saud Araba

and Turkey began to gve prorty to regonal dynamcs rather than to the preerences

o global powers. Thereore, both countres ncreasngly need one another n solvng

regonal problems. Western powers have to revse ther regonal polces under these

changed crcumstances. Wth the emergng system, they wll unable to support the

corrupt regmes n exchange or ol and natural gas and they wll unable to gve uncon-

dtonal support or the aggressve Israel polcy. Thereore, Western states also needto take new regonal dynamcs nto consderaton. Change n the polces o Western

states, whch are stll dependent on Turksh and Saud support, wll permt Turkey and

Saud Araba to mprove ther cooperaton urther.

When takng the popular demands o the Arab revolts nto consderaton, one may

ner that the process o change may cause the revval o a cvlzatonal poltcal ds-

course. It s ndspensable that the states who want to take part n the reconstructon o

Islamc cvlzaton be more fexble, open to change, and propose non-Western as well

as Western solutons to regonal problems. Consderng ts economc wealth, poltcal

stablty, socal development, and human resources, Turkey wll play a decsve role n

ths reconstructon. As a country that calls or more democracy, more poltcal partc-

paton, and more economc development, Turkey has been pursung a humantaran

dscourse n ts relatons wth the Mddle Eastern countres. The more cvlzatonal em-

phass by Turkey and Saud Araba n oregn polcy, the more lkely they wll pursue a

non-Western polcy and lessen ther dependence on the Western powers.

V. CONCLUSION

Although Saud Araba ntated changes n many areas, t stll represents the regonal

tradtonal poltcal systemnamely, monarches. The Kngdom began to take regon-

al and global developments nto consderaton and to open ts economy and poltcsto the world. Compared to the prevous kngs, Kng Abdullah acheved sgncant re-

structurng n both domestc and oregn polcy o the country. Whle he contnues to

mantan close relatons wth the US, he began to mprove relatons wth the European

countres, as well as other global powers such as Russa, Chna and Inda. Furthermore,

ater the break out o the Arab uprsngs, Saud Araba consoldated ts relatons wth

the other countres wth tradtonal poltcal systems, the Gul monarches.

Saud Araba and Turkey dd not have rendly relatons or a long tme. Saud Araba

was establshed as a kngdom ater a long struggle aganst the Ottoman state and Tur-

key was establshed as a Western-style republc representng the modern ace o theMddle East. Whle Turkey recognzed the Kngdom mmedately ater t was declared, t

dd not enter nto close relatons as part o ts Westernst polcy orentaton. On the oth-

Ater the all orepublcan regmes

n Egypt, Lbya,and Tunsa and

the ncreasngnstablty n

Syra and Yemen,Turkey and Saud

Araba remantwo poltcally

stable and

economcally well-beng prosperous

countres n theregon.


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23

er hand, Saud Araba, representng the tradtonal poltcal system (tradtonal monar-

ches), has close relatons wth the West, but keeps ts tradtonal nsttutons. However,changng condtons and regonal developments ncreasngly orce the two countres

to act together.

Wth the spread o the Arab revolt throughout the Mddle Eastern countres, the re-

gonal poltcal, economc and socal system wll be restructured. Ater the all o re-

publcan regmes n Egypt, Lbya, and Tunsa and the ncreasng nstablty n Syra and

Yemen, Turkey and Saud Araba reman two poltcally stable and economcally well-

beng prosperous countres n the regon. The two countres need to cooperate n the

ollowng ssue areas:

-

Turkey and Saud Araba need to use an nclusve poltcal dscourse. Thereore,Turkey should convnce Saud Araban leaders to cease ther sectaran rheto-

rc and change ther prortes accordngly. Smlar to Turkey, Saud Araba also

should ntate dalogue wth poltcal and socal groups belong to derent sects

and relgons. Organzng and nancng ntercultural nternatonal meetngs are

symbolc ndcatons o Saud Araban poltcal dscourse. Followng Turkey, the

Kngdom should cease ts sectaran regonal polcy and open ts poltcal system

to the world.

- They should oppose the producton o nuclear weapons and advocate or a nu-

clear ree regon, ncludng both Iran and Israel. They should be n touch wth

Iran, whle tryng to balance ts nfuence. They should not repeat the Western(Amercan and Israel) confctual dscourse and should not otherze Iran. As two

sgncant Sunn states, they can mprove ther relatonshp wth other regonal

Muslm and Arab countres and poneer coordnaton among Muslm countres.

- They should work together n solvng regonal problems utlzng regonal nstru-

ments such as the Gul Cooperaton Councl and the Organzaton o the Islamc

Cooperaton, the headquarters o both o whch are located n the Kngdom, and

cooperate wth regonal actors ncludng regonal states and transnatonal ac-

tors. They also should be n tandem wth Western global powers snce t s qute

dcult to acheve regonal stablty wthout the consent o these global powers.

- Ankara and Ryadh have to put the derences between both states asde as they

work through ths transton perod. Democratc, secular Turkey and monarch-

cal, relgonst Saud Araba should contnue consultatons regardng the regon-

al developments, .e., Syra. Saud Araba and Turkey can exert more pressure and

nfuence when ther eorts are combned.

- Turkey cannot be successul n ts unlateral regonal polces. Thereore, t needs

Saud Araba more than ever (especally ater the regme changes n Iraq and

Egypt and state alures n the regon), snce Ryadh s one o the ew regonal

states that has mantaned the stablty o ts state structure.

Ankara andRyadh have to put

the derencesbetween bothstates asde as theywork through thstranston perod.Democratc,secular Turkeyand monarchcal,relgonst

Saud Arabashould contnueconsultatonsregardngthe regonaldevelopments.


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When we consder Saud Araban large populaton, terrtores and naturalresources, t s obvous that t wll contnue to preserve ts geopoltcal, geo-economc and geo-cultural mportance n uture. The assumpton o KngAbdullah as the ruler o the country provded an opportunty to restructurethe countrys oregn polcy. The new kng began to ollow a more pragmatc,ratonal, nterdependent, multlateral and multdmensonal oregn polcy.He pursues an actve oregn polcy requred to be less dependent on a snglestate (the Unted States) and on a sngle product (ol).

Due to ther derent regme types and deologcally-orented oregn pol-ces, relatons between Turkey and Saud Araba dd not progress throughoutthe 20th century. However, Ankara and Ryadh mproved ther blateral rela-tons durng the AK Party government and the regn o Kng Abdullah. Parallelto ts new oregn polcy prncples such as zero-problems wth neghbors,maxmum cooperaton, pro-actvsm, rhythmc dplomacy, the AK Party m-proved ts relatons wth Saud Araba. Kng Abdullah responded accordngly.In addton, recent developments such as the Arab revolts n the regon pushthe two countres to mprove ther cooperaton urther.

Muhttn AtamanAter graduatng rom Ankara Unversty (Faculty o Poltcal Scence), Ataman complet-

ed hs Masters Degree at Unversty o Central Oklahoma and hs Doctorate at Unver-

sty o Kentucky. Atamans man research nterests are Turksh oregn polcy and Mddle

Eastern poltcs. Hs artcles are publshed n leadng journal such as Mddle Eastern

Studes, Journal o Muslm Mnorty Aars, Journal o South East Asan and Mddle East-

ern Studes and Alternatves. Ataman s proessor o Internatonal Relatons at Abantzzet Baysal Unversty and works as Secretary General o Inter-Unversty Board, based

n Ankara. He s also a oregn polcy researcher at SETA.

turkey saudi

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