King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Turkish President Abdullah Gul discussed the Middle East conflict and promote stronger economic ties between the two countries. Gul arrived here earlier in the day on a 4-day state visit and was received at Riyadh airport by King Abdullah. During their talks, King Abdullah and President Gul discussed developments in the Middle East after “the tragedy in Gaza.” President Gul had said in an interview earlier this week that he would discuss with King Abdullah “ what we can do together for lasting peace and stability in the region.” Turkey has assumed an active role in efforts to end the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip and gone to the extent of vehemently criticizing Israel, a close ally, for the deadly offensive that has claimed the lives of at least 1,300 people in Gaza. Gul's visit and the bilteral agreements concluded are expected to increase economic exchanges between the two countries. Turkey's target is to boost the bilateral trade volume from the current level of about $5.5 billion (4.3 billion euros) to $10 billion in 2010. Increasing the share of Turkish contractors in Saudi construction projects and cooperation in the defense industry field are among top priorities for Ankara. Turkey's ministers of foreign trade, defense and transport as well as a large group of businessmen are accompanying the president during the trip. After his meetings in Riyadh, President Gul would travel on to Jeddah to visit the headquarters of the Organization of the Islamic Conference where he is expected to hold talks with the OIC chief.
