Turkey’s defense chief deepens military ties, Syria cooperation in Riyadh
The Turkish defense chief’s visit to Jeddah comes ahead of an expected visit by the president.
DUBAI/ANKARA — Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler met with his Saudi counterpart, Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in Jeddah on Wednesday. The two countries are working to deepen their defense cooperation ahead of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s expected visit to the kingdom this spring.
What happened: According to a joint statement from the Saudi Press Agency, the two ministers reviewed "bilateral relations, prospects for joint cooperation, and opportunities to develop the military and defense sectors."
Erdogan is expected to visit Saudi Arabia this month to discuss the deal, which could include sales of warships, tanks and missiles from Turkey, Bloomberg reported earlier this year.
Prior to Guler’s visit, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had traveled in January to Saudi Arabia, where he met with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and other senior Saudi officials.
