CROWN PRINCE Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, held wide-ranging talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace in Ankara on Friday. They reviewed the progress in the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries. They discussed issues of mutual concern, and the latest developments and turmoil in the Middle East region. The leaders also reviewed the global efforts being made to resolve the conflicts in the region, especially those in Syria and Yemen as well as in combating terrorism. The Crown Prince arrived in Ankara on a two-day official visit and that was in response to an invitation from Erdogan, and as per the directive of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. During the visit, the Crown Prince also met with other high-ranking Turkish officials, including Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. During the meeting with Soylu, the Crown Prince stressed the importance of security in ensuring the stability and development of states, noting that the security cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Turkey is of paramount importance in achieving the safety and security of the two countries. The leaders also discussed issues pertaining to enhancing security cooperation between the Kingdom and Turkey, particularly with regard to the fight against terrorism and countering the acts of terrorist organizations. Crown Prince Muhammad reviewed with Turkey's Foreign Minister Cavusoglu the latest developments in the region, and the position of the two countries towards them. During the meeting, they also discussed issues of common interest between the two countries and ways of enhancing bilateral ties in all fields. "The visit showed the Kingdom's solidarity and support to Turkey, and we thank Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif for this," Cavusoglu said while describing that the visit of the Crown Prince as extremely fruitful. "The two states are determined to take the bilateral relations to greater heights." Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Cavusoglu thanked Saudi Arabia for its views, which are tantamount to that of Turkey with regard to the humanitarian crises in Syria, Iraq, Libya and other countries, in addition to the Kingdom's intense efforts to organize this year's Haj pilgrimage in a serene and hassle-free manner. The minister also welcomed the Kingdom's unwavering support to Turkey following the failed coup attempt in July. Earlier, during the talks with Prime Minister Yıldırım, Prince Muhammad underscored the need for Saudi Arabia and Turkey to fortify themselves in confronting the potential challenges and security threats. He also highlighted the key role for the cooperation of Turkey and Saudi Arabia in ensuring regional peace and security. Echoing the same view, Yıldırım stressed the need for increased cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the fight against terrorism. "The two nations would promote the Turk-Saudi Coordination Council within the body of foreign ministries and institutionalize the ties more," he said while stressing in this regard the important role played by King Salman's visit to Turkey in April during which Erdogan and the King had underlined the need for joint work to further strengthening relations. The talks were also attended by the delegation accompanying the Crown Prince, and they include Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Saud Bin Naif, advisor to the minister of interior, Minister of Finance Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Minister of Commerce and Investment Majed Al-Qasabi, Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Turaifi, Minister of Labor and Social Development Mofrej Al-Haqbani, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nizar Madani and Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet Musaed Al-Aiban. Minister of Labor and Social Development Mofrej Al-Haqbani met on Friday Turkish Minister of Family and Social Policy Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya. During the meeting, they discussed areas of cooperation between the two countries and ways of developing them. They also discussed possibility of signing a memorandum of understanding in the field of social development and family affairs between the two countries. Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Turaifi signed on Friday a memorandum of cooperation in the field of culture with the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Maher Onal. Al-Turaifi also met with the Turkish Parliament Speaker İsmail Kahraman. Speaking on the occasion, Kahraman thanked King Salman for hosting him as a guest for this year's Haj. He also praised the Kingdom's great efforts to enable the pilgrims to perform their rituals in ease and comfort by implementing giant projects and facilities in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah and the holy sites. On the sidelines of the visit, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed on Thursday evening a memorandum of understanding to enhance cooperation in the field of labor. The MoU was signed by Al-Haqbani and Turkey's Minister of Labor and Social Security Mohammad Muezzin Ihsanoglu. The deal aims to enhance cooperation in various fields of labor, including exchange of expertise and training programs in the field of resolving labor disputes, taking advantage of available human resources, especially the technical personnel, skilled manpower and specialized expertise in accordance with the needs and potentials of both parties. The memorandum also envisages cooperation to benefit from the expertise, information and statistics on the labor market, exchange of visits to benefit from the expertise of both parties, as well as exchange of experiences in the field of labor inspection and areas of job safety and health. There are also provisions for cooperation between the two sides through exchange of information and documents related to the themes of the memorandum of understanding, mutual visits of delegations, professionals and specialists, in addition to organizing seminars, workshops, conferences and meetings.
