Saudi crown prince in Ankara for Syria

ANKARA

President Abdullah Gül (R) welcomes Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz in Ankara, with the Syrian crisis topping the agenda. DAILY NEWS photo, Selahattin SÖNMEZ

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, also the deputy prime minister and defense minister held talks with President Abdullah Gül on May 21 with the Syrian conflict at the top of his agenda.
 
The two signed a cooperation agreement on defense during the prince’s first foreign visit since he became the crown prince.

The planned two-day visit comes prior to today’s Friends of Syria meeting in Jordan and U.S.-Russia-led Geneva conference for Syria in June.

His visit aims at enhancing cooperation and coordination between the two countries.

Bilateral ties, military, economic and cultural issues along with regional and international developments were to be discussed according to a written statement from the Turkish Presidency on May 20.

Boosting bilateral ties

The visit was aiming to boost bilateral relations, the statement also said. The Saudi Crown Prince is accompanied by a number of officials, including Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja and the Economy and Planning Minister Muhammad al-Jasser. Prince Salman is due to meet Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan today.

Saudi Arabia, along with Qatar, are reportedly arming Syrian rebels and paying salaries.