Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday in Jeddah.

Erdogan arrived in Saudi Arabia as part of a three-day Gulf tour to strengthen regional ties.

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman welcomed the Turkish president in Al-Sallam Palace with an official ceremony. The two leaders held official talks session and bilateral meeting.

They discussed bilateral relations and regional and international issues.

The Turkish president is accompanied by his Cabinet members and other Turkish officials.

During his visit to three Gulf countries, Erdogan previously said that he wants to boost ties with them and finalize investment deals.

Addressing a news conference in Istanbul before he embarked on his Gulf tour, Erdogan said the diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia were established in 1929.

“We want to extend the solid foundations of our relations to an even wider area of cooperation,” he added.

Being one of the most important countries in the region, Saudi Arabia has a special place in areas such as trade, investments and contracting services, the Turkish president said.

“The value of the projects undertaken by our contractors in Saudi Arabia in the past 20 years is approximately $25 billion. We would like Turkish companies to play a greater role in Saudi Arabia’s large-scale projects,” he added.