Saudi Arabia has signed a strategic agreement with the Turkish defence industry Baykar Tech for the production of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the kingdom, the state-owned company Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) announced via X – former Twitter – yesterday Sunday.

The agreement will enhance SAMI’s role in supporting the national defence industry and strengthening its capabilities, the state-owned enterprise said.

برعاية سمو #وزير_الدفاع؛ يسرنا أن نعلن عن توقيع اتفاقية توطين استراتيجية مع شركة @BaykarTech التركية، لتوطين صناعة الطائرات المسيَّرة "Bayraktar Akinci" والأنظمة المكونة لها داخل المملكة، إذ ستُعزز هذه الاتفاقية دورنا في دعم صناعة الدفاع الوطنية وتعزيز قدراتنا المحلية. pic.twitter.com/9mBWNBflh5

— SAMI (@SAMIDefense) August 6, 2023

In July, Riyadh struck a deal to buy Turkish UAVs. It was the largest contract in history for the Turkish defence industry. Its value is expected to reach 5 to 7 billion dollars.

Investments and, more broadly, funding from Gulf monarchies have helped to ease pressure on the Turkish economy and foreign exchange reserves from 2021, when Ankara took diplomatic initiatives to restore relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Turkey has been at odds with these two countries for over a decade, mainly because Ankara supported Islamist movements during the so-called Arab Spring.

The tension peaked when Saudi Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

Also read: Ukraine | Cooperation with Turkey to manufacture Bayraktar Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles