Turkey and Saudi Arabia signed a major drone deal last year in one of several recent demonstrations of strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries.
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received a warm welcome on Tuesday during his first visit to Turkey since he took office in 2022. The prince was hosted by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and pledged to boost Saudi-Turkish defense ties.
Amid the thawing of relations between Riyadh and Ankara, the Saudi royal met his counterpart, Yasar Guler, at Turkey’s National Defense Ministry in Ankara. The two discussed ways to enhance cooperation between their respective ministries, as well as “efforts to achieve peace and their two countries’ joint endeavors to achieve security and stability in the region and the world,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
The respective chiefs of staff of the Saudi and Turkish militaries, Lt. Gen. Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili and Gen. Metin Gurak, respectively, participated as well, among other officials, according to the agency.
Cumhurbaşkanımız Sayın Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Suudi Arabistan Savunma Bakanı Halid bin Selman Al-Suud’u Cumhurbaşkanlığı Külliyesi’nde kabul etti. pic.twitter.com/0dn6I8crYc
— T.C. İletişim Başkanlığı (@iletisim) July 2, 2024