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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to press Riyadh after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last month at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
On Tuesday, one of the pro-government newspaper Sabah in Turkey featured on the front page X-ray images of the alleged suitcase of the Saudi press team showing tools to assassinate Khashoggi.
The newspaper's story is the latest development of what analysts consider a carefully calibrated campaign conducted by Ankara against Riyadh.
Erdogan announced last week that an audio recording of the last minutes of a Saudi writer's life had been shared with the United States, Saudi Arabia and the major European powers.
"The [content of the] The gang is a real calamity, "Erdogan told reporters Sunday. "Even, the intelligence officer of the Saudis was shocked when he listened to the recording, as he put it. "This guy (author) may be using heroin, only a man who takes heroin can do such a thing."
Since the assassination of Khashoggi on October 2, Ankara, through the cautious dissemination of information to the media, has wiped out any hope from Riyadh that the controversy would dissipate.
"Ankara provides the press with new and bloody information on the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi," said Global Source Partners analyst Atilla YesIlada, "which confirms suspicions that Erdogan is seeking something other than justice. or revenge ".
In the first weeks after Khashoggi's assassination, speculation was running high and Ankara was seeking substantial concessions from Riyadh, including financial and economic support for Turkey's crisis-ridden economy. A few days after Khashoggi's death, a key aide to Saudi King Salman went to Istanbul to meet senior Turkish officials. King Salman, in a rare move, came out of his semi-retreat to talk on the phone with Erdogan.
Despite this intervention, Erdogan described as "corruption" any discussion of financial concessions by Riyadh, saying he was determined to find and hold Khashoggi's killer responsible. However, the Turkish president is careful not to accuse King Salman of his involvement.
Instead, Erdogan's speech seems to be focusing more and more on Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. "As I have already said, apart from the authors, the one who gave them order must also be found," said Erdogan, a widely interpreted reference designating the Crown Prince.
Riyadh has repeatedly said that the crown prince had no involvement in the killing, an assertion, according to many analysts, hard to believe, given the power that Salman has in the kingdom.
Khashoggi's death is seen as giving Erdogan a unique chance in his life. "Mohammed bin Salman is a key rival for Erdogan in the battle for hegemony across the Sunni Middle East," said international relations professor Huseyin Bagci of the Middle East Technical University. 39; Ankara.
"The question is how does Saudi Arabia claim regional hegemony," he added. "Prince Salman has great intentions to claim regional hegemony for Saudi Arabia, against Iran and Turkey."
"If Erdogan attacks the MBS (Mohammed bin Salman), it's a futile quest," said analyst Yesilada, "because so far, Trump White House has remained steadfastly loyal to him, as well as two important American regional allies (Israel and Egypt). ). "
A senior Western diplomat, under the guise of anonymity, agreed, noting that the overthrow of the Crown Prince enjoyed limited international support, due to the risk of regional instability. .
If Erdogan targets the Saudi Crown Prince, such a decision could threaten to reopen tensions with Washington, analyst Yesilada believes, as it would "complicate considerably the American efforts to repel Iran." The crisis surrounding the assassination of Khashoggi has so far been the basis for an improvement in US-Turkish relations, observers claiming that Washington and especially US President Donald Trump regarded Erdogan as a essential means to give Riyadh a way out of this difficult situation.
However, Erdogan's tough stance against Riyadh meant that the Turkish president enjoyed rare international applause.
Before the murder of Saudi Arabia, Erdogan was regularly criticized for holding the record, according to human rights groups, considered the worst jail of journalists in the world, an accusation denied by Ankara.
The Khashoggi crisis has shown that Turkey and Erdogan remain key international players. However, is it enough for the Turkish president or does he believe that he has a rare, if not unique, opportunity to bring down a critical regional rival or at least weaken it seriously? This is a question that analysts say the regional and international powers will probably ask. Observers point out that the Turkish president has demonstrated his ability to take risks and play for big stakes.
For now, Erdogan seems content to leave everyone in doubt, while wondering what other evidence Turkish investigators have about Khashoggi's death.
