President Erdogan receives formal reception in Riyadh

By Ilkay Guder and Ramazan Turgut

RIYADH

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud on Tuesday welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at an official reception in Saudi capital Riyadh.

The reception ceremony took place in Riyadh’s Al-Yamamah Palace, where King Salman formally received Erdogan after which the two leaders reportedly spoke over lunch.

A number of meetings are expected to be held Tuesday afternoon between officials of the two countries.

Earlier Tuesday, President Erdogan also met with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al-Saud.

That meeting, which lasted roughly 50 minutes, was held behind closed doors.

Erdogan arrived in Riyadh late Monday from Bahrain within the context of an ongoing tour of the Gulf, which will also bring him to Qatar later on Tuesday.

While in the Gulf, the Turkish president is expected to discuss regional issues with Gulf leaders along with means of bolstering Turkey’s bilateral relations with the oil-rich Gulf States.