ANKARA — A joint closing statement was issued following the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, deputy prime minister and minister of defense, to Turkey. Following is the text of the statement:

Based on the distinguished fraternal relations and the deep-rooted historical ties that unite the leaderships of Saudi Arabia and Turkey and their two peoples, and responding to a kind invitation of Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman visited Turkey on June 22, 2022 (Wednesday).

The Crown Prince was received by the Turkey President Erdogan. An official reception ceremony was held in honor of the Crown Prince at the Presidential Complex.

In an atmosphere of cordiality and brotherhood, embodying the depth of the distinguished relations between the two countries, a session of official talks was held between Crown Prince Mohammed and President Erdogan.

During the talks, bilateral relations between the two countries were reviewed from various aspects, and their common determination to enhance cooperation in the bilateral relations between the two countries was confirmed in the strongest possible terms, including in the political, economic, military, security and cultural fields.

The two sides exchanged views on the most prominent regional and international developments of common interest.

The two sides discussed ways of developing and diversifying intra-trade, facilitating trade exchange between the two countries, overcoming any difficulties in this regard, and intensifying communication between the public and private sectors in the two countries to discuss investment opportunities and translate them into tangible partnerships in various fields.

The statement praised the great economic potentials of the two countries as members of the Group of Twenty (G20), especially the opportunities being offered by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in the fields of investment, trade, tourism, entertainment, development, industry, mining, construction projects, transportation and infrastructure (including contracting), agriculture, food security, health, communications and information technology, media, and sports.

The two nations agreed to activate the work of the Saudi-Turkish Coordination Council, raise the level of cooperation and coordination on issues of common interest, and work on exchanging experiences between specialists in the two countries.

The two sides also expressed their aspiration to cooperate in the fields of energy, including petroleum, refining and petrochemicals, energy efficiency, electricity, renewable energy, innovation and clean technologies for hydrocarbon resources, low-carbon fuels and hydrogen, and to work on localizing energy sector products and associated supply chains, and developing projects related to these fields.

In the field of environment and climate change, Turkey welcomed the Kingdom's launch of the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) and Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) and expressed its support for the Kingdom's efforts in the field of climate change through the application of the circular carbon economy approach, launched by the Kingdom and endorsed by the leaders of the G20 countries.

The two sides reiterated the importance of adhering to the principles of the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, and the need to develop and implement the climate agreement by focusing on emissions without sources.

The two sides affirmed their support for the two initiatives launched during the Kingdom's presidency of the G20 summit meetings 2020, namely (the global initiative to reduce land degradation and enhance the conservation of terrestrial habitats) and the initiative (the platform to accelerate research and development in the field of global coral reefs).

The two parties agreed to develop productive and investment partnerships in the fields of artificial intelligence, digital technologies and smart cities, as well as to encourage private sector actors working in these areas to cooperate.

The Turkish side called on investment funds operating in the Saudi entrepreneurship environment to invest in emerging companies in Turkey, and to establish partnerships with them.

The two parties agreed to strengthen and continue the relations between the "Turkish Standards Institution" and the "Saudi Standards and Metrology Organization" within the framework of the cooperation agreements signed between the two concerned institutions.

The two parties agreed to exchange visits of scientists, within the framework of the cooperation protocol signed between the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey “TUBITAK” and “King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology” in 2016.

The two parties stressed the need to strengthen and develop cooperation activities between the Small and Medium Enterprises Development and Support Administration in Turkey and the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises in Saudi Arabia.

On the defense issue, the two sides agreed to activate the agreements signed between the two countries in the fields of defense cooperation, and to strengthen and develop them in a way that serves the interests of the two countries and contributes to achieving security and stability in the region.

The two parties agreed to enhance judicial cooperation and work on exchanging experiences between specialists in the judicial and judicial fields.

The two sides stressed the importance of cooperation in the field of tourism, developing the tourism movement between the two countries, exploring the tourism potentials of each country, and strengthening joint work for the benefit of the tourism sector and its development according to the bilateral agreements signed between the two countries.

The two parties stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation between the national civil aviation authorities, and facilitating administrative procedures for the operations of airlines.

The two parties agreed on their intention to develop the existing cooperation between the two countries in the field of health. The two parties will explore opportunities for cooperation in the field of health investments.

The Saudi side expressed its gratitude for Turkey's support for Riyadh's candidacy to host World Expo 2030.

The two parties affirmed their endeavor to intensify cooperation, coordination and exchange of views on important issues and issues on the regional and international arenas, in a way that contributes to supporting and strengthening security and stability in the region.

They also extended their support for political solutions to all crises in the countries of the region, while emphasizing not to prejudice the sovereignty of any of them, and seeking everything that would keep the countries of the region away from tensions, and lay the foundations for security and stability of the region.

The two parties also affirmed their determination to increase cooperation and effective coordination between them within the framework of regional and international organizations, particularly the Organizations of Islamic Cooperation and the United Nations, and to continue their close cooperation to ensure peace, stability and security in the region.

Crown Prince Mohammed expressed his thanks for the hospitality of Turkey’s President Erdogan, as well as the cordiality that prevailed during his visit and the accompanying delegation.

The Turkish president valued the Kingdom’s efforts in organizing Hajj season 2021, despite the challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and its efforts to serve the Two Holy Mosques and their pilgrims, Umrah performers and visitors.

He expressed his satisfaction with the increase in the number of pilgrims and Umrah performers throughout the current year 2022, and thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed for their efforts in this regard.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the two parties affirmed their determination to continue developing cooperation on the basis of historical brotherhood, to serve the common interests of the two countries and peoples and the future of the region for the benefit of all. — SPA