Although Turkey’s condemnation of the Yemeni Houthi rocket attacks on Saudi Arabia is nothing new, its recent condemnation of the Houthi attack on an oil facility near the Saudi city of Dammam on Sunday (March 7th) tastes different.
While the previous few statements were limited to condemnation, the last statement was “warmer” as the Turkish Foreign Ministry “expressed strong concern about the attacks targeting the territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” and added, “We are committed to security and we wish the government and the people the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The change in tone of the statement appears to be due to an agreement reached between Ankara and Riyadh at the end of last year to improve bilateral relations. Relations between the two countries have been strained since the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashgeji, as well as historical ideological differences between the two parties and their struggle for influence in the region.
The statement came two days after the Houthis announced the downing of a Turkish-made “spy” plane in Yemeni airspace.
According to Turkish media sources, last year, Saudi Arabia signed a $ 200 million contract with the Turkish defense industry company Vestel, which is part of the joint production of the Karyal drones.
The Reform Party (affiliated with the Akhwan al Muslimeen) may be the link between Turkey and Saudi Arabia in Yemen, as Saudi Arabia cooperates in its conflict with the Houthis with a party ideologically close to the Turkish government, which has also been involved in recent battles.
Although the issue of Turkey’s involvement in the Yemeni war with Saudi Arabia is still speculated, but among the lack of official sources, if recent Turkish interventions in Libya and the Nagorno-Karabakh region, to which areas of military equipment and Syrian mercenaries depend the two countries are likely to work together in Yemen.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed last year that Turkish intelligence had hired Syrian mercenaries in northern Syria to send them to fight in Yemen.
According to the observatory’s director, Rami Abdul Rahman, Turkish intelligence agents have set up an operation room in the Syrian city of Afrin to send Turkish-backed Syrian opposition mercenaries to Yemen.
Abdul Rahman added: Mercenaries who want to go to Yemen receive $ 500 in advance and then $ 900 a month.
Convergence at the expense of the UAE?
Yemeni sources close to Turkey spoke late last year about the proximity of Turkey and Saudi Arabia to Yemen, because Yemeni websites quoted Saleh al-Jubwani, a former transport minister in Hadi’s government, as saying he was close to Turkey and spoke of the possibility of an “imminent alliance between Saudi Arabia and Turkey in Yemen.” This new alliance is being formed in the region “with the aim of ending the ambitions of the extravagant children (UAE)”.
Mujtahid also said in a statement that Turkey’s acceptance of Saudi Arabia’s request for aid to Yemen was “conditional on angering the UAE” without the condition being disclosed.
Bloomberg reported that the UAE wants to improve its relations with Turkey on condition that Turkey suspends support for the Muslim Brotherhood, but the agency said the UAE’s actions towards Turkey due to long-term tensions and the struggle for influence.
In another report, Bloomberg stressed that the UAE is working to reduce its role in foreign conflicts and to expedite the abandonment of its post-Arab spring 2011 policies for reasons such as the presence of the new US administration.