Saudi Crown Prince meets Turkey’s Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdul Aziz in the presidential palace in Ankara on Friday, Al Arabiya News Channel's arabic website reported.

Immediately after the arrival of the Crown Prince, Erdogan accompanied the Saudi Royal to the presidential palace, where they posed for pictures before their meeting began, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The meeting between the two leaders will aim to further bolster the strategic ties between the two regional heavyweights, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef arrived in Turkey on Thursday evening.

Saudi visit ‘sent strong message’

Erdogan said the Crown Prince’s visit to Ankara during “this critical time” sent a “strong message” of Saudi “solidarity” to Turkey. The Turkish leader also thanked Saudi King Salman’s government for its stance towards Ankara following the July failed coup.

The Crown Prince also expressed his gratitude over Turkey’s “warm welcome,” “generous hospitality” and Erdogan gifting him a medal. He considered the medal as a symbol representing “deep rooted friendship and brotherhood” between Saudi and Turkey.

“Turkey is a brotherly country for us. We always consider seriously that there should be strong and joint work between us because we actually need each other,” the Crown Prince said. “We are being targeted… and we cannot ask them not to target us. However, what is important is to fortify ourselves as much as possible.”

Saudi crown prince mohammed bin nayef (SPA)

The Saudi Crown Prince was received at Esenboga International Airport in Ankara by Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Ankara Mayor İbrahim Melih Gokcek, and other senior officials.

On his part, Yildirim said that Saudi Arabia and Turkey are not just brotherly countries, but are important countries for the security and stability in the region.

On the sidelines of the visit of the Crown Prince, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance cooperation in the field of labor.

Dr. Adil Murad Mirdad, Saudi ambassador to Turkey, said that the formation of the council gave a big push to further bolstering bilateral ties and thus consolidating a strong partnership in almost all sectors. He said that the visit of Crown Prince comes in the framework of the strong bilateral ties that bind the Kingdom and Turkey.

“The visit of the Crown Prince, leading a high level delegation, complements the exchange of visits between the top leaders of both the countries in further cementing the bilateral cooperation that reached its zenith during the period of King Salman and Erdogan. The Crown Prince will discuss with the Turkish leaders several key issues pertaining mainly to economy and security, especially combating terrorism,” he told SPA.

(With the Saudi Gazette)