RIYADH (Middle East Eye) – A Saudi diplomat said on Saturday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman begins a regional tour on Monday in Egypt that is set to take him to Turkey to increase regional ties.
During the tour, it is expected that Bin Salman will discuss “regional and international files and the future of international cooperation,” the diplomat said, according to AFP.
He added that investment and energy deals are due to be signed, and that, after Cairo, the crown prince will travel to Jordan and Turkey.
Bin Salman is also due to visit Greece, Cyprus and Algeria, “probably in late July,” the diplomat said. However, the Saudi government has yet to confirm the upcoming trips.
This would be the first time that bin Salman would visit Turkey since the killing of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Khashoggi was killed and dismembered at the consulate on 2 October 2018 after going there in regard to paperwork for his forthcoming marriage.
His remains have never been found.
The visit, following one by the Turkish president Tayyip Recep Erdogan to Saudi Arabia in April, is expected to heal ties between the two countries.
Erdogan’s efforts to improve relations with Saudi Arabia, as well as the United Arab Emirates, come as Ankara faces a significant economic crisis, as inflation levels hit 73.5 percent, and with a presidential election set for next year.