King Salman, Erdogan hold talks

King Salman welcomes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (SPA)

JEDDAH: King Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks in Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Sunday.
The talks addressed bilateral relations as well as the developments in the region in addition to the efforts being exerted to counter terrorism.
The meeting was attended by a number of Saudi cabinet members and the ambassador to Turkey.

Erdogan is scheduled to fly to Kuwait later Sunday before heading to Qatar on Monday for his first face-to-face talks with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani since the crisis began.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain last month cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and issued 13 wide-ranging demands to lift the embargo, including the closure of a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Erdogan also met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Regarding Erdogan’s visit to the Kingdom, Turkey’s presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said: “Turkey has adopted a constructive role since the onset of the Qatar crisis, and called for negotiations toward a resolution through dialogue.”
Kalin added: “Erdogan and the leaders of the Gulf will also discuss bilateral relations and other regional issues such as Iraq, Syria, terrorism, Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

— With input from AFP