Turkish president meets Saudi leaders

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Thursday with Saudi Arabia's king and crown prince during his first visit since the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi drove a wedge between the Sunni powers. 

The trip came as Turkey, facing an economic crisis fuelled by the collapse of its currency and soaring inflation, tries to drum up financial support from energy-rich Gulf countries.

Prior to flying from Istanbul to Saudi's second city Jeddah, where some roads were lined with Turkish and Saudi flags, Erdogan said he hoped "to launch a new era" in bilateral ties.

"We believe enhancing cooperation in areas including defence and finance is in our mutual interest," Erdogan said.

Saudi agents killed and dismembered Khashoggi, a Saudi insider turned critic who wrote columns for The Washington Post, in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate in October 2018. His remains have never been found.

The gruesome act risked isolating Saudi Arabia, and especially Prince Mohammed, while escalating Riyadh's regional rivalry with Ankara. 

Turkey infuriated the Saudis by pressing ahead with an investigation into the murder, which Erdogan said was ordered at the "highest levels" of the Saudi government.

Saudi Arabia responded by unofficially putting pressure on Turkey's economy through a boycott of key Turkish imports.

But trade between the two has been gradually improving, and in January Erdogan said he was planning a visit to Saudi Arabia.

Earlier this month, an Istanbul court halted the trial in absentia of 26 Saudi suspects linked to Khashoggi's death, transferring the case to Riyadh.

The Turkish decision infuriated human rights campaigners and Khashoggi's widow Hatice Cengiz, who vowed to appeal it in a higher court.