The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Turkish President Recap Tayeb Erdogan held here yesterday official talks, at the presidential palace in Ankara. At the beginning of the talks, the Turkish President welcomed, in his name and on behalf of the Turkish government, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in his current visit to the Republic of Turkey, pointing out the importance of the continuation of meetings between officials form the two countries, in various political, trade and economic, military, cultural and social fields, to realize common interests and promote relations between the two brotherly countries. He emphasized commitment to strengthening bilateral relations between the Republic of Turkey and Saudi Arabia, drawing attention to the importance of strategic cooperation between the two countries, in order to achieve stability, in the region. For his part, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques made the following statement: In the name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate, Praise be to Allah, prayer and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, His Excellency President Recap Tayeb Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey, distinguished officials, and the audience: at the outset, let me extend my sincere thanks and appreciation of Your Excellency, the Government and people of brotherly Turkey for the good reception, accorded to us. Mr. President, this visit falls within the framework of our common concern, in dealing with the issues in our region, atop of which is finding a just solution to the Palestinian issue, end of the Syrian crisis and to confront interventions in the internal affairs of countries in the region, by powers that may try to expand their influence despite norms and conventions. The Muslim world, nowadays, witness collective and strategic action through alliances to ensure coordination and integration of efforts, including the Islamic military alliance to fight terrorism, the King said, pointing to the keenness of Your Excellency that Turkey shall be one of the first 39 countries to accede. The King added that the message sent through the "North Thunder", which was the largest military exercise to take place, in the region, is a message to anyone who may try to affect our security and our stability. Today's realities require us to work together to create a favorable environment that would allow the peoples of the countries, in the region to achieve its aspirations, in security, stability and development, the King stated. Mr. President: I am confident that our discussions today will lead to fruitful results to reinforce our strategic relationships, which open broad prospects for strengthening political, economic, trade, military and security ties to the benefit of our two countries and our two brotherly countries. In conclusion, I reiterate my thanks to Your Excellency and to the Government and fraternal people of Turkey. Peace, mercy and blessings of God, be upon all of you. During the official session of talks, they reviewed bilateral relations and ways of developing them, in various fields to serve the interests of the two countries and peoples as well as the overall regional arena. Talks session was attended by the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance Sheikh Saleh bin Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh, the Minister of Finance Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf, the Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabia'ah, the Minister of Transport, Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Muqbil, the Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Adel bin Zaid Al-Toraifi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor of the Minister of Defense's office Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Issa and the Saudi Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey Dr. Adel bin Siraj Mirdad. It was also attended from the Turkish side, by a number of top level ministers, officials and the Turkish Ambassador to the Kingdom Yunis Dimirar.
