Türkiye and Saudi Arabia have pledged to deepen judicial cooperation, with their justice ministers discussing legal collaboration and the exchange of expertise in emerging fields.
Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek met his Saudi counterpart, Walid Al-Samaani, and his delegation in Ankara, Türkiye's Justice Ministry said on Wednesday.
The ministers discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between their judicial authorities as broader bilateral relations continue to expand.
Minister Gurlek described Türkiye and Saudi Arabia as brotherly countries with deep historical and cultural ties, as well as shared responsibilities for regional stability.
He underlined that the political will of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had helped turn closer relations into concrete cooperation during their meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh in February.
“We are pleased to see this strong political will producing concrete results across a wide range of areas, including the economy, trade, investment, energy, defence, culture, tourism, technology, and justice. We particularly value the fact that the joint statement issued after the Riyadh visit specifically highlighted cooperation in law and justice. The signing of a justice cooperation agreement during the visit also marks an important step towards further strengthening ties between the ministries,” Gurlek said.
During the meeting, Gurlek underlined that Türkiye and Saudi Arabia share a past built on the principle that “the religion of the state is justice.”
He said both nations aim to translate the strong vision set out by the two countries’ leaders into concrete cooperation in law and justice that benefits both peoples.
‘We are ready to share our experiences’
Turkish Justice Minister Gurlek stressed that Türkiye’s “Century of Türkiye” vision and Saudi Arabia’s “Saudi Vision 2030” both underscore the need for strong, swift and accessible justice systems.
He added that increasing reciprocal delegation visits and strengthening direct contacts between experts would significantly deepen bilateral relations.
He also highlighted Türkiye’s e‐justice system, known as UYAP, which enables judicial procedures to be conducted digitally.
"We are ready to share our experience in judicial digitalisation, artificial intelligence applications, cybersecurity, legal assistance and alternative dispute resolution with Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Justice," the Turkish minister said.
The minister called for more reciprocal delegation visits and direct contacts between legal experts to deepen cooperation and develop practical partnerships.
Gurlek also stressed the importance of cooperation in combating terrorism financing, organised crime, cybercrime and money laundering.
He said Türkiye and Saudi Arabia would continue to defend international law, justice and human dignity on regional and international platforms.
