Saudi Arabia began the implementation of the strategic plan to weaken and overthrow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to the Middle East Eye, which had at its disposal a confidential report prepared for the government of neighboring UAE, the program was developed after Crown Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom the publication calls the de facto ruler of the kingdom, decided that he was too patient with Erdogan after the assassination of opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Riyadh at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The material notes that the reprisal against Khashoggi caused an international resonance in many respects because of the Turkish reaction, calling on Saudi Arabia to answer for it. The CIA and the US Senate agreed with the findings of Turkish intelligence that bin Salman was personally involved in the tragedy.
A report cited by the Middle East Eye said Erdogan had gone too far in his campaign to discredit Saudi Arabia and the Crown Prince. The document states that Turkey did not significantly contribute to the murder investigation, but instead contributed to the appearance of ‘misinformation’ in the media aimed at ‘distorting the image of the kingdom and destroying the reputation of the crown prince.’
As a result, Riyadh decided that it was time to “strengthen the retaliatory strike” and weaken the influence of the Turkish president in the region. According to the plan, Saudi Arabia intends to use all possible tools for tough pressure on the Erdogan government. First of all, the kingdom is going to gradually stop investing in the Turkish economy, reduce tourist flows to the country and the volume of imports, and most importantly, minimize the role of Turkey in Islamic matters.
Riyadh expects Erdogan to switch to solving internal problems and ultimately be overthrown by the opposition.
During the last week, the kingdom authorities blocked 80 Turkish trucks carrying textile products and chemicals in the port of Oak and 300 containers of fruits and vegetables from Turkey in the port of Jeddah.
According to the Turkish Ministry of Tourism, in the first six months of 2019, the number of Saudi tourists visiting the country decreased by 15%.
The Turkish government is aware of the attempts of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia to break off relations and nip them, maintaining contact directly with his father, King Salman. According to a senior source in Turkey, Erdogan recently discussed regional issues and the blocking of Turkish goods with the Saudi king, and also invited the entire Salman family, including the crown prince, to Turkey, NEWSru reported.
