President of the Republic of Turkey Abdullah Gul received here today the Speaker of the Shoura Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh and the accompanying delegation, currently on an official visit to Turkey. During the meeting, President Gul expressed happiness for the growing levels of cooperation and coordination between the Governments and peoples of both countries and between Turkey's National Assembly and Saudi Arabia's Shoura Council. The Turkish President pointed to the two historical visits paid by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to the Republic of Turkey, and the boost the Saudi-Turkish relations garnered from it, noting that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a special status to the Turkish people because of its prestige in the Muslim world as home of the two holy mosques. We do appreciate the Kingdom's efforts in serving and rehabilitating the two holy mosques and providing complete comfort, security and safety for all pilgrims, the Turkish president said. President Gul underscored the importance of consultation and cooperation between the two counties at all levels for the interest and stability of the Middle East, calling for benefiting from the current positive climates to find a solution to the Palestinian issue. He also highlighted the importance of the visit of the delegation of the Saudi Shoura Council and its role in the development of bilateral relations between the two countries. For his part, Dr. Al Al-Sheikh conveyed the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General and the Saudi people to the president, Government and people of Turkey. During the meeting, a number of issues of common interest to both countries were also discussed. The meeting was attended by a number of senior officials on the Turkish side as well as Al Al-Sheik's accompanying official delegation on the Saudi side.
