Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed bilateral ties in a call on Tuesday, the second conversation between the two leaders in less than a month. The Turkish President also congratulated the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on the approaching advent of the blessed Eid ul-Fitr. For his part, King Salman expressed thanks to the Turkish president on his congratulation, praying to Allah Almighty to return this occasion to all Muslims with goodness and wellness. Turkey is seeking to improve ties with the Gulf State after they were thrown into crisis and it is also seeking to repair relations with other countries in the region after seeing its economy take a hit. Last year, Saudi citizens endorsed an unofficial boycott of Turkish goods in response to hostility from Ankara, slashing the value of trade by 98%. Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told Reuters last month that Erdogan and King Salman had "a good call" in April and that the foreign ministers of the two countries had agreed to meet. Tuesday's conversation came a day ahead of a meeting between Turkish and Egyptian officials in Cairo, the latest step in Turkey's push to mend relations with Arab powers. Egypt and Turkey are set to hold talks on restoring relations between both countries and other regional topics on Wednesday and Thursday, according to a statement issued by Egypt's Foreign Ministry. The discussions will take place between Egypt's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Hamdi Sanad Loza and Turkey's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sadat Unal in Cairo. According to the statement, the talks will discuss important steps required for normalization and bilateral relations between Egypt and Turkey and cooperation over regional topics. — Agencies
