Türkiye vows closer regional ties with Saudi Arabia

RIYADH

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on May 18 that Türkiye is committed to deepening cooperation with Saudi Arabia on all regional matters.

Fidan and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, co-chaired the second meeting of the Turkish-Saudi coordination council, a platform aimed at enhancing bilateral ties across political, economic and security domains.

"Türkiye-Saudi Arabia relations, kneaded with our historical and human ties, have proven their strength and solidity against the tests and challenges they have faced," Fidan said during the talks in Riyadh.

"We attach importance to strengthening our cooperation and coordination with Saudi Arabia on all issues concerning the stability and peace of our region."

Fidan welcomed what he described as the "sincere and close cooperation" between the two regional powers and expressed hope that their collaboration would set an example across the Islamic world.

The Turkish top diplomat highlighted trade goals between the two nations. Bilateral trade volume, which stood at $8 billion in 2024, is targeted to rise to $10 billion this year and reach $30 billion in the long term.

“Given the complementarity of our economies, I believe we can easily achieve this goal,” he said. “The coordination council... will contribute to further advancing cooperation between our countries in all areas.”

During the meeting, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding between the Turkish Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Academy and a Saudi diplomatic studies institute.

Fidan was also expected to raise key regional issues during the meeting, including calling for an end to Israeli attacks in Syria and the lifting of sanctions to aid the country’s reconstruction.