Saudi Crown Prince, Turkish President Hold Official Talks in Jeddah 

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Erdogan hold talks in Jeddah. (SPA)
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Erdogan hold talks in Jeddah. (SPA)
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Saudi Crown Prince, Turkish President Hold Official Talks in Jeddah 

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Erdogan hold talks in Jeddah. (SPA)
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Erdogan hold talks in Jeddah. (SPA)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received in Jeddah on Monday Turkish President Recep Tayyip Edrogan for official talks that covered bilateral relations and cooperation between their countries.

They also tackled regional and international developments and efforts exerted towards them.

Erdogan had arrived in the Kingdom earlier on Monday on the first leg of a Gulf tour that will also take him to Qatar and then the United Arab Emirates.

Crown Prince Mohammed and Erdogan oversaw the signing of the executive plan for cooperation between their countries in the defense industries, research and development fields.

They also oversaw the signing of Memoranda of Understanding in energy, direct investment and media.

Erdogan is accompanied by several ministers, members of economic and foreign committees and some 200 businessmen and investors. Economic forums will be held in Jeddah, Doha and Abu Dhabi.

Speaking from Istanbul ahead of his departure to the Kingdom, Erdogan said trade exchange between Türkiye and the Gulf had risen over the past 20 years from 1.6 billion to around 22 billion dollars.

He added that his country had made significant strides in improving relations with the Gulf, stressing that it is still pursuing efforts to establish peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Moreover, he hailed the financial and moral support provided by the Gulf to Türkiye in February in wake of the devastating earthquake.

The crises in the region mean that consultations and cooperation are necessary with the Gulf, he went on to say.

Discussions with Saudi, Emirati and Qatari leaders will tackle current regional issues, Erdogan revealed.

Saudi Arabia is one of the most important countries in the region and it enjoys a special standing in several fields, including trade, investments and services, he continued.



Coalition: UAV Intercepted and Destroyed in Riyadh Region

Official Spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Official Spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Coalition: UAV Intercepted and Destroyed in Riyadh Region

Official Spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Official Spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Official Spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki stated that a UAV was intercepted and destroyed in Riyadh Region.


Saudi Arabia: Sudan's Government Cannot Be Equated with Militias

Engineer Waleed al-Khuraiji, Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, during his participation in the meeting hosted by Geneva on Wednesday (SPA)
Engineer Waleed al-Khuraiji, Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, during his participation in the meeting hosted by Geneva on Wednesday (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia: Sudan's Government Cannot Be Equated with Militias

Engineer Waleed al-Khuraiji, Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, during his participation in the meeting hosted by Geneva on Wednesday (SPA)
Engineer Waleed al-Khuraiji, Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, during his participation in the meeting hosted by Geneva on Wednesday (SPA)

Saudi Arabia said the Sudanese government and Sovereignty Council cannot be equated with militias that have committed crimes against the Sudanese people, reiterating its rejection of parallel entities and illegal actions outside official institutions that undermine Sudan’s unity and do not reflect the will of its people.

The remarks were made on Wednesday by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed al-Khuraiji at the sixth consultative meeting on coordinating peace initiatives and efforts in Sudan. He underscored the Kingdom’s efforts to secure a ceasefire, preserve Sudan’s unity and safeguard state institutions against collapse.

Al-Khuraiji said these efforts were based on the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan, signed on May 11, 2023, and the short-term ceasefire agreement. He added that Saudi Arabia supported the Quad initiative and other regional and international efforts to reach a political solution that preserves Sudan’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

The deputy foreign minister stressed the importance of supporting the Sudanese government in its efforts to facilitate an intra-Sudanese dialogue inside the country. He said the Kingdom would continue working to end the war and restore stability in Sudan.

Saudi Arabia had announced $100 million in aid to ease the suffering of the Sudanese people and launched a public fundraising campaign through the Sahem platform. Total Saudi assistance to Sudan has exceeded $3.2 billion, in addition to a further $145 million in support, he added.

The aid was part of Sudan’s 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan, al-Khuraiji said, referring to Saudi Arabia’s participation in a humanitarian coordination meeting on the Sudan crisis held in Berlin on April 15, 2026.

On the sidelines of the meeting, al-Khuraiji held separate meetings with Swiss Foreign Minister Alexandre Fasel, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, and Massad Boulos, the US president’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs.

The bilateral meetings covered relations between Saudi Arabia and their respective countries, prospects for cooperation, and efforts to promote security and peace in Sudan, as well as the latest regional and international developments.


Saudi Air Defenses Thwart Attempt to Target Shaybah Oilfield

Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oilfield (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oilfield (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Air Defenses Thwart Attempt to Target Shaybah Oilfield

Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oilfield (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oilfield (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Two people were killed and two others were injured after Saudi air defenses intercepted a drone that was attempting to hit a facility at Saudi Aramco's Shaybah oilfield, the Energy Ministry said.

The two people killed were Nepali and Filipino nationals, while the injured were Pakistani and Indian nationals, it said.

The falling debris also sparked a fire in a contractor’s vehicle at the Shaybah oilfield, the ministry added in a statement.