Turkiye’s Erdogan visits Saudi Arabia: What to expect

Erdogan will meet with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his office says.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is visiting in Saudi Arabia on Friday for what his office has billed as a routine one-day working visit amid regional tensions.

The trip will be Erdogan’s second visit to the kingdom this year and the first since the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran, as the two countries deepen ties.

Here’s what you need to know.

What’s on the table?

Erdogan is expected to hold a trilateral meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who arrived in the kingdom on Thursday for a three-day visit alongside Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir.

Turkish presidential communications director Burhanettin Duran said the trip would focus on “bilateral relations and regional developments” without detailing a formal agenda.

“During the visit, it is envisaged that President Erdogan will meet with the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, as well as with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan,” Duran said.

Regional media reported that talks will centre on maritime security, the fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran and defence cooperation, but Ankara has been notably tight-lipped about specifics.

A defence pact in the making?

The visit comes as multiple news outlets report that the three countries may sign a formal alliance.

A source close to the Saudi military told the AFP news agency that the three leaders are set to sign a joint defence agreement in Jeddah on Friday, while a Turkish intelligence source said the pact’s foundational terms had already been agreed to among the three sides.

If confirmed, such an agreement would likely extend the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed in September ۲۰۲۵, which treats an attack on one as an attack on both, into a three-way framework with Turkiye.

None of this has been confirmed publicly by any of the three governments, and it remains possible the visit brings a more modest joint statement instead.

Why now?

Erdogan’s last visit to Riyadh in February had brought similar talk of a Turkish-Saudi axis, but such an alliance was not formalised.

The timing of Friday’s visit is no less significant. It comes a week after Saudi Arabia unveiled a multinational maritime security initiative to protect shipping through the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. The coalition has already been backed by ۱۴ countries, including Turkiye and Pakistan.

The visit also follows months of upheaval in the Strait of Hormuz, caused by the US and Israel’s war on Iran, in which Islamabad has positioned itself as the go-to mediator.

Iran has retaliated against US and Israeli attacks by launching missiles and drones at military bases that host American troops across the region, including in Gulf states. Iran has also targeted hotels and energy sites in the region.

Separately, the kingdom has been dealing with heightened tensions with the Houthis in Yemen. The two sides have been trading attacks over the past weeks. And the Yemeni group has been targeting Saudi ships in the Red Sea.

What happened the last time Erdogan visited?

After the February trip, Ankara and Riyadh released a joint statement pledging to enhance economic, energy and security cooperation.

“They affirmed their desire to strengthen and develop their defence relations in a way that serves the interests of both countries and contributes to achieving security and stability in the region, including through multilateral cooperation platforms,” the statement said.

They also expressed alignment on support for the “ceasefire” in Gaza and the internationally recognised government in Yemen, while rejecting Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland in Somalia.

“Regarding the Somali issue, both sides affirmed their unwavering support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and their commitment to preserving Somalia’s stability and the prosperity and development of its people,” they said.