Turkey’s efforts to turn a fresh leaf with its former Arab rivals have so far been fraught with U-turns and unilateral concessions from Ankara. Despite the recent thaws with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Egypt seems to be hesitant, and it remains unclear how much President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's April 28 visit to Saudi Arabia help normalize relations with Cairo. 

Saudi Arabia and Egypt have been two major Arab countries that were disgruntled by Ankara’s intrusive policies vis-a-vis the Arab world. Ankara’s strong support of the Muslim Brotherhood in the wake of the Arab Spring, its military and political alliance with Qatar and neo-Ottoman ambitions have been among the major contention points. Ankara’s latest diplomatic push to mend ties with Arab countries seems to be fueled by Turkey’s economic problems as Erdogan tries to improve his country’s economic outlook ahead of the 2023 presidential elections.

Indeed, the hug Erdogan gave to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman became possible only after three postponed visits and Ankara’s decision to suspend the trial over assassination of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul. 

The visit showed how the tables have turned against Erdogan, who once sought to make the crown prince pay the price for the assassination. Erdogan was greeted by the Jeddah governor at an airport on his arrival and sent off by deputy governor on his departure. Saudi media reports stressing that the visit request came from Ankara instead of Riyadh marred Erdogan’s image further. During his trip, Erdogan said he visited the country upon the Saudi King's invitation.