Saudi Crown Prince makes first Turkey visit since Khashoggi murder
The visit began with a welcome ceremony, and will be followed by a one-on-one meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the crown prince. The trip comes as the West and wider Middle East seek to repair relations with the oil-rich kingdom, in a bid to alleviate financial strains prompted by the pandemic and sky-high energy prices sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In April, Erdogan met the crown prince in the Saudi city of Jeddah, a visit that ended the years-long diplomatic standoff between the two countries. The crown prince — known as MBS — is the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. A wave of crackdowns on Saudi dissidents, which culminated in Khashoggi’s murder by a 15-man hit squad, strained relations between Riyadh and multiple Western states and Turkey.However, then-US President Donald Trump stood by MBS — who was a lynchpin of Trump’s Middle East policy — even as the CIA said “The fact that he came to our country does not change the fact that he is responsible for murder,” Cengiz tweeted on Wednesday, referring to MBS’ visit.During his US presidential campaign, Joe Biden vowed to turn MBS into a “pariah” over his rights record. As President, Biden has declined to communicate directly with the powerful prince, opting instead to speak to his official counterpart — the ailing King Salman.But soaring fuel prices in recent weeks sparked a U-turn in Biden’s Saudi policy. Tense diplomatic relations drastically reduced US leverage in pushing Riyadh to pump more oil, until Biden ramped up diplomatic efforts and scheduled a first official visit to the kingdom, which is expected to happen in July. He is expected to meet MBS during the visit. CNN’s Isil Sariyuce contributed to this report.