
Turkeyiscontinuinga "positive dialogue" withSaudiArabiaand wants to take concrete steps in the coming days to improve ties, President TayyipErdoganwas cited as saying on Wednesday, amid a regional charm offensive byTurkeyto mend strained relations.
Ties between Ankara and Riyadh have been troubled since the 2018 killing ofSaudijournalist Jamal Khashoggi by aSaudihit squad at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. Following Turkish demands for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other officials to be prosecuted, Riyadh imposed an unofficial boycott on goods fromTurkey.
In 2020,SaudiArabiajailed eight people for between seven and 20 years for Khashoggi's murder. At the time Ankara said the verdict fell short of expectations, but has since softened its tone as part of a broader attempt to repair ties with the Gulf, even going as far as saying it has no problems with Riyadh.
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"We arecontinuingourpositive dialoguewithSaudiArabia. We want to continue by taking concrete steps in the coming period. We want to develop the process in a positive direction,"Erdogantold reporters on a flight back from the United Arab Emirates.