Turkey - Saudi Arabia strategic ties deepen
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Riyadh: Turkey´s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Saudi Arabia´s top leadership on Tuesday during a visit to further strengthen ties as part of a Gulf tour ahead of Syria peace talks.
King Salman hosted a luncheon banquet for Erdogan, who arrived in Riyadh late Monday, the official Saudi Press Agency said.
It gave no details of their discussions, but said Erdogan also met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the interior minister, and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is defence minister.
On Monday in Bahrain, Erdogan called for a "safe zone" in northern Syria for people displaced by the war.
The positions of Saudi Arabia and Turkey are "absolutely identical" on Syria, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said last week in Ankara.
He was attending the first meeting of a coordination council to enhance ties between the two countries.
Later Tuesday Erdogan will be in Qatar, with which Turkey has maintained strong ties for years. Qatar also hosts a Turkish military base.
While both states are united in their backing for rebels fighting Assad´s regime, they also shared support for Egypt´s Muslim Brotherhood.
