JEDDAH: The visit to Turkey by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has been praised by one of Ankara’s leading diplomats in the Kingdom.

Turkish Consul General in Jeddah Fikret Özer said this shows the deep ties between the countries, since the signing of trade, economic and technical cooperation agreements in 1973.

He said that the two governments have agreed to strengthen relations and have signed a number of bilateral agreements. There have also been an exchange of visits and exhibitions, establishment of joint companies and increased trade.

He said the visit of President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Saudi Arabia recently had strengthened strategic relations between the two countries. He said the two nations have similar views on solutions to the crises in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

He said trade between the two countries was now more than $6.4 billion, while Turkish investments in the Kingdom are estimated at $642 million. There are 200 Turkish firms operating in Saudi Arabia. In comparison, there are 700 Saudi companies in Turkey with a total investment of $2 billion.