Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who on Sunday kicked off his three-nation Gulf tour in Bahrain, will arrive in the Saudi capital on Monday for consultations with top Saudi officials on key bilateral and regional issues.
“The visit of the Turkish president to the Kingdom comes at a significant time and context,” Turkish Ambassador Yunus Demirer told Arab News on Sunday.
“Cooperation between the Kingdom and Turkey is today more relevant and crucial than ever, taking into consideration regional and global challenges. Turkey and Saudi Arabia share identical views on regional issues such as Syria, Iraq and Yemen, as well as issues like terrorism.”
He said Erdogan will also visit Qatar during the tour. The president’s talks with Gulf leaders will include cooperation in energy, trade and investment. One of the top issues that will be discussed will be Ankara’s fight against terrorism.
“Turkey and Saudi Arabia are the main pillars for stability in the region,” said Demirer. “The depth and diversity of our relations, our joint commitment to the stability and well-being of the region, and intertwined interests lead our countries to take the relationship to higher and new levels of cooperation.”
He said the leaderships of both countries wish to enhance ties to best serve the interests of their peoples and the region. He added that the visit of Erdogan should be considered and interpreted politically within the regional context.
“The Gulf region is a priority in our external relations,” said the envoy. “We are keen to enhance our relations with Saudi Arabia and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries in every possible field. Regarding our economic relations, they keep on developing, and we are even expecting more in the future.”
Demirer added: “I believe Saudi Vision 2030 provides an excellent opportunity and a framework for the future of our economic relations.”
He recalled the first meeting of the Turkish-Saudi Coordination Council, which was held under the co-chairmanship of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Saudi counterpart Adel Al-Jubeir in Ankara on Feb. 8.

Source: Arab News