EMBARKING on a high profile visit to further bolster the strategic ties between the two regional heavyweights, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, arrived in Turkey on Thursday evening. The Crown Prince was received at Esenboğa International Airport in Ankara by Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, Ankara Mayor İbrahim Melih Gökçek, and other senior officials. From the airport, the Crown Prince headed for Cankaya Palace, where ceremonies of an official reception were held. The national anthems of both the countries were played and then the Crown Prince and the Turkish Prime Minister Yıldırım inspected the guard of honor. This was followed by bilateral meeting between the two leaders. The Crown Prince thanked the Turkish prime minister for the warm hospitality accorded to him and the accompanying delegation, saying: "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." He added: "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." On his part, Yıldırım said that the Kingdom and Turkey are not just brotherly countries, but they are important countries for the security and stability in the region. During the session of official talks between the two sides, the Crown Prince and the Turkish prime minister reviewed the excellent bilateral relations and discussed ways of enhancing and developing them in all fields. They discussed the latest developments in the region and the position of both the countries toward them. Their talks also figured major regional and international issues of mutual concern. The talks were also attended by the delegation accompanying the Crown Prince, and they included Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Saud Bin Naif, advisor to the minister of interior, Minister of Finance Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Minister of Commerce and Investment Majed Al-Qasabi, Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Turaifi, Minister of Labor and Social Development Mofrej Al-Haqbani, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nizar Madani and Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet Musaed Al-Aiban. 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. The visit was in response to an invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and as per the directive of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, the Royal Court said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. Crown Prince will also hold wide-ranging talks with President Erdogan and other high-ranking Turkish officials, and the talks will cover the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as the regional and international issues of mutual concern. The conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, Iran's role in aggravating regional strife, and situation in Palestine are expected to figure high in the talks. The Crown Prince is the first high-ranking Saudi official visiting Turkey after providing its unwavering support to maintain Turkey's security and sovereignty following the failed coup attempt in July. The bilateral ties between the two countries that were established in 1929 reached the highest level with the formation of the Saudi–Turkish Strategic Coordination Council in April this year in the presence King Salman and Erdogan. The creation of the Council was regarded as a giant leap in almost all spheres of bilateral relations, including politics, economy, security, military industry, agriculture, education, diplomacy, trade, finance, banking, culture, media, technology, and marine navigation. 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. This was the second visit of Crown Prince to Turkey in recent years and his earlier visit was in April last year when he was the deputy crown prince. During that visit he met Erdogan and other Turkish leaders. Mirdad noted that the high frequency in the top-level meetings between leaders of both the states is a clear proof of the strong bilateral ties. He drew attention to the three visits made by King Salman to Turkey during which several cooperation agreements especially in defense industries were signed. The first visit was in 2013 when he was the crown prince. The King's second visit was in last November to attend the G20 summit held in Antalya. The King also visited Turkey in April this year to attend the 13rd Islamic Summit. Mirdad said the volume of trade exchange in terms of export and import between the two countries reached SR22 billion between the years of 2014 and 2015. The volume of Saudi investments in Turkey reached SR20 billion in real estate sector and SR48 billion in energy, trade and industry fields, while the volume of Turkish investments in the Kingdom reached SR12 billion. In a statement, Turkish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Yunus Demirer said the visit of Crown Prince will open new avenues for further cementing bilateral cooperation in various fields. Several agreements are expected to sign during the visit. Demirer urged the Turkish investors and businessmen to make investments in the Kingdom by taking advantage of the new incentives and facilities announced after the launching of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program. He said that there are 800 Saudi companies operating in Turkey while the number of Turkish companies working in the Kingdom reached 200, with a total capital of more than $600 million.
