Saudi Arabia, Turkey to set up ‘strategic cooperation council’

RIYADH

A picture provided by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on December 29, 2015 shows shows Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir (R) greeting his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in the Saudi capital Riyadh. AFP PHOTO / SPA / HO

Saudi Arabia and Turkey agreed on the need to set up a “strategic cooperation council” to strengthen military, economic and investment cooperation between the two countries, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Dec. 29. 

“The meeting produced a desire to set up a high-level strategic cooperation council between the two countries,” Reuters quoted Jubeir as saying during a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart after talks in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, between Saudi King Abdullah and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 

He said the council will deal with security, military, economic, trade, energy and investment between the two countries. 

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that Turkey supports a Saudi-led initiative to fight against terrorism and will take part in it. 

“As Turkey, we are supporting the Islamic cooperation initiative of Saudi Arabia against terrorism,” said Çavuşoğlu.

He added Turkey will take part in “all steps of this mechanism.”