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Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Visits Turkey | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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In this photo provided by Turkish Presidency Press Service, President Abdullah Gul, right, and Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia, pose for cameras before their talks at the Cankaya Palace in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, May 21, 2013.(AP Photo/Murat Cetin Muhurdar)


In this photo provided by Turkish Presidency Press Service, President Abdullah Gul, right, and Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia, pose for cameras before their talks at the Cankaya Palace in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, May 21, 2013.(AP Photo/Murat Cetin Muhurdar)

In this photo provided by Turkish Presidency Press Service, President Abdullah Gul, right, and Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia, pose for cameras before their talks at the Cankaya Palace in Ankara, Tuesday, May 21, 2013.(AP Photo/Murat Cetin Muhurdar)

Ankara, Asharq Al-Awsat—Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, emphasized that his visit to Turkey comes as a continuation of the efforts to communicate with Ankara, and out of the mutual desire to promote and consolidate the relationship between the two countries as well as to consult with the Turkish leaders about issues of mutual interest.

Upon his arrival in Ankara yesterday, the Crown Prince announced, “It is my pleasure to express my joy at this visit and to pass the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to his brother Abdullah Gul, the President of Turkey, as well as to the Prime Minister, Recep Tayyib Erdogan, and his wishes for further progress and prosperity of the brotherly Turkish people.

The two historic visits of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Turkey in 2006 and 2007 represented a significant shift in all fields and on all levels in the Saudi-Turkish relations. I would like to express our thanks and gratitude for the warm reception that reflect the depth of our countries’ fraternal, historic and cultural ties. I pray to God to guide us to the well-being of our peoples, countries and the Islamic Ummah”, Prince Salman added.

Prince Salman arrived in Ankara yesterday in an official visit to the Turkish Republic accompanied by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister; Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the head of Crown Prince Court; Dr Musaed Al-Aiban, Minister of State and member of the cabinet; Dr Abdel Aziz Khoja, Information Minister; Dr Muhammed Al-Jasser, Economy and Planning Minister; Dr Abdulrahman Al-Shalhoub, Deputy Chairman of Royal Protocol; and Marshal Abdulrahman Al-Bunian, the Defense Ministry’s Chief of Staff.

The Crown Prince was welcomed by Bekir Bozdag, the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister; Muhammad Ali Olthath, the Deputy Governor of Ankara; Adel Mirdad, the Saudi Ambassador in Ankara; Ahmed Mukhtar Gun, the Turkish Ambassador in Saudi Arabia; ambassadors of the Arab and Islamic countries in Turkey; Abdulaziz Hussein, Deputy Chief of Staff; and Mohammed Al-Shuhail, the Saudi military attaché in Turkey.

The Saudi Royal Court issued a statement yesterday morning announcing the visit of the Crown Prince, “As a continuation of the efforts of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, to communicate with the world’s leaders about everything that serves the interests of the Saudi people as well as the interests of the Arab and Islamic Ummahs; and based on the bonds of friendship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Turkish Republic, the Crown Prince, Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, at the invitation of the Turkish President Abdullah Gul, departed to the Turkish Republic in an official visit.”

The Crown Prince was seen off in King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, governor of Makkah province; Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, the Second Deputy Prime Minister and adviser and special envoy to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; Prince Fahd bin Abdullah bin Mohammed, Deputy Minister of Defence; Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah bin Musaed, adviser in the Crown Prince Court; Prince Mishaal bin Majid, the Governor of Jeddah; Prince Nayef bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, adviser to the Minister of Defence; Prince Bandar bin Salman bin Abdulaziz; Dr Majid Al-Qasabi, head of the Crown Prince’s Special Affairs Office and a number of senior commanders and officers from the armed forces, the National Guard, and the Royal Guard Regiment and Police.