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Saudi Arabia makes major regional moves as Biden administration arrives

By modifying its foreign policy goals, the kingdom is bracing itself for the approaching change of administration in Washington.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal  (2nd R) welcomes US Vice President Joe Biden (C) at the Riyadh airbase on October 27, 2011, upon his arrival in the Saudi capital with a US official delegation to offer condolences to the King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz following the death of his brother, Crown Prince Sultan.  AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images)

Expecting a drastic change in Washington's foreign policy toward the Arab world, Saudi Arabia is rethinking its regional ties these days. Having reached out proactively to both Turkey and Qatar in the past few weeks, Riyadh could initiate a new realignment. Encouragingly, Ankara and Doha have reportedly reacted positively to reconciliation efforts. According to reports, an announcement on a Saudi-Qatar rapprochement can be expected at the Gulf Cooperation Council summit next month, if not before.

Bilateral tensions between Riyadh and Ankara spiraled downward with the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Just one day before the Riyadh-hosted Group of 20 summit last month, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud made a phone call to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and both sides agreed on “keeping channels of dialogue open.”

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