Saudi Arabia, Turkey find early common ground on Syria, will it last?
Despite supporting the armed opposition in the earlier parts of the Syrian civil war, Turkey and Saudi Arabia soon found themselves competing in Syria. Assad’s fall opens a new chapter.
Turkey and Saudi Arabia are coming full circle in Syria. The two regional powers supported the armed rebels in the initial phases of the Syrian civil war but then had a falling out as their domestic politics, bilateral ties and regional priorities shifted. With the fall of Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, however, Turkish and Saudi interests are converging once again.
Last month, Turkey’s intelligence chief and foreign minister were the first foreign dignitaries to visit the Syrian capital, Damascus, where they met with the country’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Then came the first international visit by Syria’s new administration on Jan. 1, when Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani visited Saudi Arabia with a delegation that included the Syrian defense minister and intelligence chief, who met with their Saudi counterparts in the capital, Riyadh.
Turkey and Saudi Arabia are no longer jockeying for influence in Syria; instead, they are looking for ways to keep the war-torn country in one piece even as they lead the rebuilding. There is an expectation that Ankara and Riyadh could use their collaboration in Syria to address other crisis-ridden parts of the region.
Where Ankara, Riyadh have a common cause
