Saudi Arabia, Turkey have identical views on regional conflicts

Riyadh, Feb 15: Ties between the Kingdom and Turkey are set to scale new heights as their interests align on key regional issues following talks between King Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan here Tuesday.

The summit at Al-Yamamah Palace also focused on bilateral subjects covering political, security and commercial fields.

The talks ahead of the UN-sponsored Syria peace dialogue, have added significance in terms of efforts that have been directed to reach a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

“King Salman and Erdogan expressed satisfaction over the outcome of the first Turkish-Saudi Coordination Council meeting,” Turkish Ambassador Yunus Demirer told Arab News.

Demirer said the two leaders discussed key regional issues like Syria, Yemen, Libya and Iran besides bilateral security cooperation and terrorism.

President Erdogan had separate meetings with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif on Monday.

The Turkish president also held talks with Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday in which they shared concerns and interests regarding developments in the region.

Demirer said the two leaders expressed “their desire to move forward” … and discussed security, combating terrorism, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Demirer added that the two leaders exchanged views on the most pressing issues on the regional and international agenda.

“There were no differences in our views,” said the envoy adding that the meeting with the crown prince focused “on combating terrorism and cooperation on security issues.”

He said it was a very successful visit to move forward after the Turkish-Saudi Coordination Council meeting. “The summit meeting was in way approval of the results of the joint council meeting by both heads of state,” he noted.

Last week the first meeting of the council, co-chaired by Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, took place in Ankara.

Syria was a focus point for the president during his meetings with top Saudi officials. On Monday in Manama, Erdogan called for a “safe zone” in northern Syria. The positions of Saudi Arabia and Turkey are “absolutely identical” on Syria, Al-Jubeir said last week in Ankara, after the joint council meeting.

On the sidelines of the visit, a few ministerial bilateral meetings were held. Al-Jubeir met here Monday night with Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu, who is traveling with the Turkish president.

During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations and work of the first session of the Saudi-Turkish Coordination. The meeting was attended by Saudi ambassador to Turkey Waleed Al-Khuraiji.

Erdogan wrapped up his two-day visit to the Kingdom on Tuesday evening and left for Qatar. Qatar hosts a Turkish military base.

Representatives of the two countries signed an agreement in the field of housing issues.