ISTANBUL

Turkey and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement in Istanbul Thursday to form a coordination council to further strengthen bilateral ties.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir signed the agreement after the opening ceremony of the 13th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud also witnessed the signing ceremony.

Cavusoglu said the agreement would further enhance ties between the two countries.

“We aim that this agreement would institutionalize our relations and provide better coordination. The relation between Saudi Arabia and Turkey is at strategic level. The security and stability of Turkey and Saudi Arabia is important for the region’s security and stability,” Turkish foreign minister said.

He said both countries would continue to work for the region’s stability, including in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister al-Jubeir said he was very happy to form such a council between the two countries.

Jubeir said the agreement covers eight sectors, including diplomacy, agriculture, military and culture. He said both sides want to strengthen security cooperation by including the fight against terrorism and extremism.

“We aim to reach peak point of this strategic relations. Turkey and Saudi Arabia are pivotal states,” the Saudi minister added.