Turkey between Qatar and Saudi Arabia: Changing Regional and Bilateral Relations

Abstract

This paper discusses how Turkey’s bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia and Qatar have changed after the Arab Spring erupted and assesses how the Syrian conflict affected them. The paper argues that Turkey had developed excellent relations with Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the 2000s, but eventually fell out with Saudi Arabia and strengthened its relations with Qatar as the Arab Spring unfolded. The Syrian conflict, in which the three countries colluded to overthrow the Assad regime, has alleviated the deleterious impact of the differences between Saudi Arabia and Turkey on the bilateral relations or, to put it in another way, slowed down the deterioration of Turkey-Saudi Arabia relations. The paper also argues that the geopolitical landscape that pushed Turkey and Saudi Arabia apart also pushed Turkey and Qatar closer.

Keywords

Syrian Crisis, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Bilateral Relations

Citation

Başkan, Birol, “Turkey between Qatar and Saudi Arabia: Changing Regional and Bilateral Relations”, Uluslararasi Iliskiler, Vol. 16, No. 62, 2019, pp. 85-99, DOI: 10.33458/uidergisi.588947

Affiliations

• Birol BAŞKAN, Dr., Non-Resident Scholar, The Middle East Institute