RIYADH: Unity among Palestinian leaders and boosting ties between the Kingdom and Turkey figured prominently in talks here yesterday between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Turkish President Abdullah Gul.
On arrival at Riyadh airbase, Gul and his 150-member delegation was received by the king.
“The talks between the king and the Turkish president focused on the whole range of bilateral, regional and international issues, including Palestine, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan,” said a spokesman of the Turkish Embassy.
Speaking after the talks, Gul said that unity among Palestinians is “crucial” for a resolution of the Palestinian problem.
“Relations between Riyadh and Ankara have been progressively growing, based on mutual respect, dialogue, joint history and cultural values that will go a long way in contributing to regional peace and stability,” he added.
Gul also said that the Kingdom and Turkey, as regional leaders, are pursuing constructive foreign policies to establish peace in the Middle East. “The active approach of King Abdullah and his visit to Ankara and Istanbul in 2006 heralded the beginning of a new era in relations between the two countries.”
After the talks, the leaders witnessed the signing of two major agreements: one on cooperation in the field of maritime transport and another in the field of youth and sports.
Gul is scheduled to meet with Shoura Council members and officials of King Saud University and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. He will also be visiting a military site near Al-Kharj township.
The Turkish leader travels to Jeddah tomorrow to meet with Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the Turkish head of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
Talking about commerce between Turkey and the Kingdom, Gul said in a statement: “My goal is to increase the two-way trade to the tune of $10 billion by 2010 from $5.5 billion reported last year.” There could be many projects for Turkish businessmen, especially contractors, in Saudi Arabia.
He said the two sides would hold discussions on cooperation in the defense sector.
King Abdullah later hosted a dinner in Gul’s honor.
Turkey has won accolades for its position on the issue of Gaza recently. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan won Turkey millions of fans in the Arab world last week when he walked out of a World Economic Forum session in Davos on Gaza after being prevented from replying to Israel’s President Shimon Peres during a debate.
