Turkey, Saudi partnership not genuine: Ex-NATO official

A former Turkish ambassador to NATO says an emerging Turkish-Saudi alliance is based on sheer expedience and will not last long.

Recent visits between leaders of the two countries have been conducted with a fanfare but Yalim Eralp says Turkey and Saudi Arabia are ideologically at loggerheads, Press TV reported.

“This Turkish-Saudi coming together cannot be long term. It is simply a practical move to deal with some short-term issues,” he told Middle East Eye, an online news portal.

The portal itself, which has been used as a reference by the likes of BBC News, The Huffington Post and The Guardian, said the fanfare "may be partially a consequence of the vacuous nature of the bond."

According to Eralp, on an ideological level the Saudi Arabia and Turkey have long been at odds.

According to Eralp, Turkey’s policies in the Middle East have become so convoluted that they have begun to hurt the country’s image.

“Egypt represents just one Turkish foreign policy blunder. Turkey’s image has been so badly damaged that even such close ties with the Saudis no longer make it any worse.”

Turkey and Saudi Arabia have widely been blamed for the surge in the deadly militancy in Syria, supporting terrorists with funds, training and weapons. Turkey also stands accused of being involved in an illegal oil trade with Takfiri Daesh terrorists.

SS