Crown Prince Salman’s Turkey visit crucial: Official

May 19, 2013

JEDDAH – Ersat Hurmuzlu, Chief Adviser to Turkish President Abdullah Gul, has stressed the great importance of the visit to Turkey by Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, in light of the crises in the region that require Saudi-Turkish coordination.

Crown Prince Salman is leaving on an official two-day visit to Turkey on Tuesday for the first time since he became the Crown Prince.

In a statement to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, Hurmuzlu said the Turkish presidency welcomes Crown Prince Salman’s visit.

He said Riyadh and Ankara are striving to end the tragedy of the Syrian people and stop the massacres being carried out by Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.

The visit is an opportunity to discuss the Syrian crisis and the developments in the region and the Muslim world, he added.

The objective is also to give a push to the Saudi-Turkish partnership and strive to develop it in all arenas.

Hurmuzlu said President Gul will hold intensive talks with Crown Prince Salman on ways to strengthen bilateral relations. The Crown Prince will also hold extensive talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.