On September 5, 2021, a Turkish flag is pictured on a boat with the Ortakoy Mosque in the background in Istanbul, Turkey. REUTERS Murad Sezer
Doha, Dec 6 Reuters -- Doha and Ankara said on Monday they will sign dozens of deals during a visit to Qatar by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who also tried to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman there, according to two people familiar with the plan.
Such a meeting appeared unlikely this week, but could come soon, according to one of the sources. It would be the first between the two leaders after the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Erdogan arrived in Qatar, a key regional ally, as Turkey's economy is grappling with an historic currency crash and soaring inflation after a series of interest rate cuts that he had sought despite widespread criticism.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey had no plans to ask Doha for financial assistance at a news conference in Doha. His counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Qatar was looking at opportunities emerging from Turkey's economic challenges.
Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed, known as MbS, was due to visit Doha on Wednesday.
A Turkish official and a Gulf official with knowledge of the visit plans said there had been discussions to set up a meeting between Erdogan and the Saudi prince in Qatar.
The Turkish official said that the programmes didn't align so it does not appear like there will be a comprehensive meeting this week.
There are many opportunities for cooperation as regional issues are resolved, and it is possible that this meeting will take place at a later date when programmes align, the person said.
Saudi Arabia imposed an unofficial boycott on Turkish imports last year because political tensions over the killing of Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, spilled into trade between the two regional powers.
After Saudi agents killed Khashoggi in October 2018, Erdogan had stated that the order came from the highest levels of the Saudi government, although he did not name Prince Mohammed, who is Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler.
A U.S. intelligence assessment found in February that the crown prince approved the killing, a charge that Saudi Arabia rejects.
Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been working on resolving their ties after they had been rivals for years over differences on regional issues and political Islam.
On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron held face-to-face talks with MbS in Saudi Arabia, becoming the first major Western leader to visit the kingdom since Khashoggi's murder.
The timing of visits by Erdogan and the crown prince to Doha was a coincidence, according to the Qatari minister.
Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar was ready for investing heavily in Turkey and was looking forward to opportunities that may emerge from the talks.