Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman concluded a regional tour that saw him visiting each of Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey, where he discussed enhancing ties and reinforcing regional stability with the leaders of those countries.
Strategic files, development and economic relations were also reviewed.
The Turkish capital, Ankara, was the final leg of the Crown Prince’s tour. He arrived there on Wednesday heading a senior delegation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed at the presidential palace in Ankara with an official ceremony.
The two sides held a bilateral meeting during which the Crown Prince conveyed the greetings and appreciation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz. In turn, Erdogan asked the Crown Prince to convey his greetings and appreciation to the Saudi King.
Moreover, the two sides reviewed bilateral relations and aspects of cooperation and ways to develop them in various fields, in addition to going over the latest regional and international developments and a number of issues of common interest.
In a statement following the talks, the two countries emphasized determination on ushering in a new period of cooperation in bilateral relations.
“The two sides discussed ways of developing and diversifying intra-trade, facilitating trade exchange between the two countries, overcoming any difficulties in this regard, and intensifying communication between the public and private sectors in the two countries to discuss investment opportunities and translate them into tangible partnerships in various fields, praising the great economic potentials of the two countries as members of the Group of Twenty (G20),” the statement read.
Additionally, the statement highlighted the opportunities being offered by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in the fields of investment, trade, tourism, entertainment, development, industry, mining, construction projects, transportation and infrastructure (including contracting), agriculture, food security, health, communications and information technology, media, and sports.
“They agreed to activate the work of the Saudi-Turkish Coordination Council, raise the level of cooperation and coordination on issues of common interest, and work on exchanging expertise between specialists in the two countries,” it added.
“The two sides also expressed their aspiration to cooperate in the fields of energy, including petroleum, refining and petrochemicals, energy efficiency, electricity, renewable energy, innovation and clean technologies for hydrocarbon resources, low-carbon fuels and hydrogen, and to work on localizing energy sector products and associated supply chains, and developing projects related to these fields.”
Turkey Welcomes Saudi Arabia’s Middle East Green Initiative
In the field of environment and climate change, Turkey welcomed the Kingdom's launch of the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) and Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) and expressed its support for the Kingdom's efforts in the field of climate change through the application of the circular carbon economy approach, launched by the Kingdom and endorsed by the leaders of the G20 countries.
The two sides reiterated the importance of adhering to the principles of the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, and the need to develop and implement the climate agreement by focusing on emissions without sources.
The two sides affirmed their support for the two initiatives launched during the Kingdom's presidency of the G20 summit meetings 2020, namely (the global initiative to reduce land degradation and enhance the conservation of terrestrial habitats) and the initiative (the platform to accelerate research and development in the field of global coral reefs).
The two parties agreed to develop productive and investment partnerships in the fields of artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and smart cities, as well as to encourage private sector actors working in these areas to cooperate.
The Turkish side called on investment funds operating in the Saudi entrepreneurship environment to invest in emerging companies in Turkey, and to establish partnerships with them.
The two parties agreed to strengthen and continue the relations between the "Turkish Standards Institution" and the "Saudi Standards and Metrology Organization" within the framework of the cooperation agreements signed between the two concerned institutions.
The two parties agreed to exchange visits of scientists, within the framework of the cooperation protocol signed between the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey “TUBITAK” and “King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology” in 2016.
They stressed the need to strengthen and develop cooperation activities between the Small and Medium Enterprises Development and Support Administration in Turkey and the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Defense Agreements, Judicial Cooperation
On the defense issue, the two sides agreed to activate the agreements signed between the two countries in the fields of defense cooperation, and to strengthen and develop them in a way that serves the interests of the two countries and contributes to achieving security and stability in the region.
They also agreed to enhance judicial cooperation and work on exchanging expertise between specialists in the judicial and judicial fields.
Tourism Cooperation
The two sides stressed the importance of cooperation in the field of tourism, developing the tourism movement between the two countries, exploring the tourism potentials of each country, and strengthening joint work for the benefit of the sector and its development according to the bilateral agreements signed between the two states.
The two parties stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation between the national civil aviation authorities and facilitating administrative procedures for the operations of airlines.
They also agreed on their intention to develop the existing cooperation between the two countries in the field of health. The two parties will explore opportunities for cooperation in the field of health investments.
The Saudi side expressed its gratitude for Turkey’s support for Riyadh's candidacy to host World Expo 2030.
The two parties affirmed their endeavor to intensify cooperation, coordination and exchange of views on important issues and issues on the regional and international arenas, in a way that contributes to supporting and strengthening security and stability in the region and support for political solutions to all crises in the countries of the region, while emphasizing not to prejudice the sovereignty of any of them, and seeking everything that would keep the countries of the region away from tensions, and lay the foundations for security and stability of the region.
