Ashraf AboArafe writes
AT a moment when the Middle East stands on the edge of overlapping crises—Gaza burning under war, tensions escalating between the United States, Israel, and Iran, and regional balances under strain—President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan chose to move diplomatically rather than rhetorically. His visits to Saudi Arabia and Egypt were not ceremonial stops, but carefully timed messages aimed at reshaping regional coordination in an era of uncertainty.
Beyond Gaza, these visits reflected Ankara’s attempt to position itself as a stabilizing actor amid rising confrontation between Washington and Tehran, and growing fears of a wider regional explosion. By engaging two pivotal Arab capitals, Turkey signaled a preference for dialogue, regional ownership of security, and pragmatic cooperation over polarization—seeking to calm the fires before they spread across the region.
