Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan plans a trip to Saudi Arabia on Thursday to restore ties, three and a half years after accusing Saudi Arabia’s leadership of murder and holding a sham trial over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In 2018, Khashoggi, a Saudi government critic, was killed by a Saudi hit team at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate. Erdogan accused the Saudi government’s “highest levels” of issuing the instructions at the time, and lambasted Riyadh’s own judicial procedure while refusing to share proof with them due to fears of meddling.

Erdogan is attempting to repair Ankara’s poor diplomatic relations as Turkey’s economy continues to deteriorate and harsh elections loom.

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