Explainer: Why it matters that Erdogan is visiting former foes Saudi and Egypt

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made visits to Saudi Arabia and Egypt this week, a sign of improved ties with the two MENA powers and an indication of a regional super-alliance.

Erdogan visited Riyadh on Tuesday, where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in an event highly publicised in Saudi media as a union between the MENA region's two biggest economies, which are becoming increasingly aligned on key geopolitical issues.

On Wednesday, Erdogan headed to Egypt to meet President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, where they will attend the 'Egypt-Türkiye High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council' and a Turkey-Egypt business forum, with Cairo hoping for $15 billion in Turkish investments in 2026, following years of economic stagnation.

Sisi and Erdogan also witnessed the signing of a framework defence industries agreement between the two countries, in another sign of a possible alliance between the two powers.

It's a radical departure from Turkey's tense relations with Saudi Arabia and Egypt just a few years ago, which broke out into diplomatic and economic battles that have been put aside following common threats in the region.

Why did Turkey fall out with Saudi Arabia and Egypt?

Tensions began to emerge in 2011 when Erdogan's government was seen as sympathetic to the Arab Spring uprisings, and became increasingly viewed by some Gulf states as a threat to regional order and the monarchs' hold on power.

When the 2013 Egyptian coup took place, and a massive crackdown on pro-democracy and Islamist activists took place, Turkey became a refuge for some members of the Muslim Brotherhood, who faced detention by Cairo.

Saudi Arabia became increasingly concerned with the pro-democracy protests breaking out in the region, and became a key member in an unofficial counter-revolutionary bloc that included the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt.

These countries launched a blockade on Qatar in 2017 due to Doha's perceived support for the Muslim Brotherhood, while Turkey backed Doha and became the embattled Gulf state's key regional supporter.

Things came to a head between Turkey and Saudi Arabia in 2018 when Ankara publicly accused Riyadh of orchestrating the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Riyadh and Ankara have been viewed as two military and economic powers competing for influence in the Muslim world - Saudi Arabia holds influence as the custodian of the two holy mosques - while Turkey, with a population of 85 million and a powerful military, is seen as a figurehead of modern Islam.

Both have also very different governance models, with Erdogan praised by some for moulding a progressive form of Islamism that is at ease with democracy and modernity, and could be an inspiration for many Muslims in the region seeking more political freedoms.

Egypt, which has lost much of its power in recent decades, also seeks to be viewed as an indivisible force in the region due to its large military and 110 million population, but has become increasingly eclipsed by Ankara in both regards.

What happened?

The disagreement between the two sides was mostly confined to a diplomatic war of words and some economic measures, but the scars ran deep over the years, making any resolution a distant possibility.

A Saudi economic boycott of Turkish goods brought further woes for the country's manufacturing sector and traders.

Riyadh also sought to quell Ankara's soft power by allegedly banning Turkish dramas on MBC, which has become hugely popular in the region.

In 2018, Crown Prince Mohammed went as far as to describe Turkey as part of a "triangle of evil" with Iran and "radical Islamist groups", while also apparently linking with US politicians who were critical of Ankara.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey also clashed in proxy wars in the region, supporting opposite sides in the Libyan war, while Ankara continued to back the Syrian opposition as Riyadh pulled its support for rebels and moved closer to Bashar Al-Assad.

How did things improve?

Relations have gradually improved since the Al-Ula Declaration, which improved relations between Qatar and several Gulf states, ending a four-year blockade on Doha, paving the way for improved relations with Turkey.

Erdogan visited Jeddah in 2022 and again in 2023, the first visits since 2017 when the two countries fell out.

This was followed by Crown Prince Mohammed's visit to Turkey during Ramadan in 2022, where the two leaders agreed to bolster ties and regional cooperation.

While statements of meetings between Erdogan and MbS stressed cooperation and non-interference in each other's affairs, differences did not appear to be in full concordance. 

But Turkey has also taken a stricter approach to the activities of Arab activists in the country in an apparent bid to placate regional regimes such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Erdogan also visited Sisi in Cairo in 2024, the first visit to Egypt since 2012, where the two countries agreed to "a new stage in relations" and pledged to increase trade to $15 billion annually "within a few years" in a bid to boost both struggling economies.

Events have taken another turn since then, when Saudi Arabia took a surprise turn against its former ally, the UAE, leading to apparent outreach with Ankara, considering that both countries have similar

There have also been moves toward establishing a regional military formation between Ankara, Riyadh, and Cairo that could be seen as a bulwark against Israeli and UAE expansionism in the region.

The dual visit by Erdogan to Egypt and Saudi Arabia is the latest signal that relations are back on track.