Saudi crown prince to meet Turkish President Erdogan to strengthen ties

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is visiting Türkiye for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to further strengthen ties between the regional powers.

The visit on Wednesday comes after the Turkish president’s trip to Jeddah in April.

Erdogan had told reporters that Crown Prince bin Salman’s visit to the capital Ankara would see discussions on taking bilateral relations to a much higher level.

Erdogan will welcome bin Salman at the presidential complex, which will be followed by one-on-one and delegation-level meetings.

Energy, economy, trade, defence cooperation and tourism are expected to be at the top of the agenda and new agreements are also expected to be signed.

"A new era will begin and there will be full normalisation. Within the scope of the visit, some agreements will be signed in the fields of energy, economy and security," a senior Turkish official has said.

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Improving relations

In April, Erdogan went to Saudi Arabia after a months-long drive to mend relations between the regional powers. He held one-on-one talks with Crown Prince bin Salman.

That marked the first high-level meeting between the two countries in years. 

Erdogan and King Salman had also discussed bilateral relations in April and May last year.

Relations between Ankara and Riyadh had seen a drop in recent years due to political tensions, but both countries are now seeking to revive ties.

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