Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will embark on a three-day tour of the Gulf starting on Monday.

The tour will include visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with a final visit to Northern Cyprus scheduled for Thursday, Turkish diplomatic sources said.

This Gulf tour holds significance as it marks President Erdogan's first regional trip following his re-election in May. In preparation for the visit, the Turkish government has been actively seeking to attract Gulf investments to address the country's foreign currency challenges.

To lay the groundwork for President Erdogan's upcoming tour, Turkey's Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek recently concluded a Gulf tour, including visits to Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

Erdogan's Gulf tour aims to strengthen ties with these important regional partners and explore avenues for cooperation in various sectors.

The visit is expected to present an opportunity to enhance diplomatic and economic relations, further solidifying Turkey's position on the regional stage.

Historically, Turkey has had close ties to the Gulf States, particularly Saudi Arabia and Qatar. However, relations between Turkey and the Gulf States deteriorated in the wake of the Arab Spring, as Türkiye supported the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, while the Gulf States backed the Egyptian military coup that ousted President Mohamed Morsi.

In recent years, Türkiye has also been critical of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, and has supported Qatar in its dispute with the UAE and Saudi Arabia. These differences have led to a number of diplomatic spats between Turkey and the Gulf States, and have hampered economic cooperation.

However, there have been some signs of improvement in relations between Türkiye and the Gulf States in recent months.

In July 2022, President Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and met with the leaders of both countries. These visits were seen as a sign of Ankara's efforts to repair its relations with the Gulf States. (ILKHA)