Asharq al-Awsat, 29 Sep. 2016- Riyadh – Ankara – Saudi Crown Prince is expected to arrive to Ankara on Thursday afternoon on a two-day official visit, during which he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.
Discussions will tackle bilateral cooperation, regional issues, including the situation in Syria and Yemen, the deteriorating relations with Iran and the fight against ISIS.
Well-informed Turkish sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that Erdogan and Yildirim would personally welcome the Saudi crown prince at his arrival at the airport.
Turkish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Yunus Demirer said that Prince Mohammed bin Naif will discuss with Turkish officials political and economic issues.
The sources added that the officials will also explore means to promote bilateral relations, noting that a number of agreements will be signed in the economic and cultural fields.
The crown prince’s visit to Ankara comes following a successful trip to New York, where he participated in the 71st United Nations General Assembly session and met with a number of world leaders.
Prince Mohammed bin Naif is also expected to meet in Ankara with leaders of top Turkish companies to promote trade between the two countries and present investment opportunities in the Kingdom.
Dr. Mustafa Goksu, senior advisor at the Investment Support and Promotion Agency at the Turkish prime ministry, said thatSaudi Arabia was a business hub for the entire Gulf region. He added that more than 700 Saudi companies were currently investing in Turkey, with investments amounting to more than $2 billion.
He added that the Turkish government would also discuss with the Saudi crown prince the signing of a free trade agreement between Turkey and GCC States.
Earlier this month, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir visited Ankara where he held talks with his Turkish counterpart.
In a joint press conference with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Jubeir said that Riyadh has “similar stance” with Turkey regarding Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
He said stances of Turkey and Saudi “fully coincide with each other regarding Syria, Iraq or Yemen, including terrorism.”