Saudi Arabia

At least two militants and two soldiers died in an al Qaeda assault on an army base in southern Yemen early on March 9, officials and residents said, in another sign of unravelling security.

After President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an?s strong opposition to his decision to quit the strategic position, Turkey?s former intelligence chief Hakan Fidan has withdrawn his application to the ruling party to run for parliament and returns the office he quitted 30 days ago.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom says Saudi Arabia has blocked her from speaking to an Arab League meeting in Cairo.

Wallstrom was invited to address the meeting on Monday but told Sweden's public radio her speech was canceled because of Saudi protests.

She said "they have reacted strongly to what we have said about democracy and human rights."

Saudi Arabia overtook India in 2014 as the world's biggest importer of defence equipment, fuelled by tensions in the Middle East, according to a study published Sunday by respected analysts IHS Jane's.
      
Global defence trade currently stands at $64.4 billion, said the report from the London-based defence specialists.
      

As I have written before, on the topic of whether or not to put the presidential system at the top of the election campaign, the relationship between President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu is ?delicate.?

It seems that this ?sensitive? concept will be observed in almost every topic regarding the management of Turkey from now on.

Let?s go back a week. We were all involved in the operation to relocate the Süleyman Shah Tomb. One exactly the same days, a number of important developments were happening in Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an reportedly met with Hakan Fidan, the former head of the National Intelligence Organization (M?T) in Medina, Saudi Arabia, on March 2.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on March 5 urged the US-led coalition conducting air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria and Iraq to wage a ground war against the jihadists.

There has been intense activity at the Air Force base in Diyarbakir, Turkey, as Ankara is considering whether to help Iraq in the fight against Islamic State, media sources say.

Aircraft are being regularly scrambled, and troops have been instructed to "react" in case of hostility from IS, according to reports.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday briefed wary Gulf ministers about his latest nuclear talks with Iran as Washington and its regional allies seek to stabilise a troubled Middle East.