Erdogan’s VP Praises Saudi Crown Prince’s recent visit to Turkey

Turkish Vice President Fuad Oktay said recently that the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Jeddah last April, and the arrival of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Ankara in June opened a novel page of cooperation between the two countries.

“They are very happy about the momentum that Turkish-Saudi relations are witnessing during this upcoming phase at various levels,” Oktay added in a speech in Ankara, during a ceremony promoting a Turkish documentary film about the pilgrimage, according to the Turkish news agency “Anatolia.”

He expressed his thanks to the Saudi authorities “for the efforts they are making to organize the Hajj season,” and pointed to “the start of high-level meetings and joint actions between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, regarding preparations for the next Hajj season of 2023.”

It is noteworthy that the Turkish president said, after a visit to Saudi Arabia, that Ankara and Riyadh “agreed to push forward joint economic cooperation,” adding that he had made a “successful visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz,” according to the Anadolu Agency.

He added, “Bilateral relations were reviewed in all their aspects, views were exchanged on regional and international issues, and joint steps that could be taken to develop Turkish-Saudi relations were discussed.”

Erdogan expressed his confidence that this visit will herald a new transitional phase in the relations between the two countries.

“We have clearly expressed, at the highest level, our common will regarding the development of bilateral relations on the grounds of mutual respect and trust,” he added.

“We have begun a new phase with countries with whom we share the same beliefs and ideas, it is a stage of making friends, rather than enemies.” He explained.