RIYADH: Key regional issues, which have been hampering the restoration of peace and security in the Middle East will top the agenda of talks between high-ranking Saudi officials and Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim here on Wednesday. But the rapidly increasing bilateral relations between the two countries have provided plenty of cause for optimism.
The talks will pave the way for renewed consultations between Riyadh and Ankara on a range of bilateral and international subjects.
“Yildirim is expected to discuss bilateral and regional developments with a special reference to the growing Saudi-Turkish relations,” said Erdogan Kok, the newly appointed Turkish ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Kok, who presented his credentials to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir on Sunday, told Arab News they had candid discussions on many subjects.
Referring to his talks with Al-Jubeir, the envoy said: “We took up Turkish-Saudi relations and cooperation as well as regional and international issues of common concern.”
He said the bilateral relations have been rapidly increasing in recent years. “Turkey possesses deep-rooted historical and cultural ties with Saudi Arabia and enjoys excellent relations based on friendship, mutual respect and common interests,” said a report of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The report, titled “Bilateral Political Relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia,” said: “Being two important countries of our immediate region and the Islamic world, Turkey and Saudi Arabia cooperate toward preserving regional peace and stability.” Both Turkey and Saudi Arabia share the political will to work closely and further deepen their relations in all fields, it added.
“As a reflection of this common political will, high-level bilateral visits have recently gained a fresh momentum,” said the statement, adding that the establishment of the Turkish-Saudi Coordination Council constitutes a significant step toward institutionalizing the multidimensional relations between Riyadh and Ankara as well as further deepening them in all fields.
On the commercial front, the strong economic and commercial cooperation between the Kingdom and Turkey constitute a major pillar of bilateral relations. By the end of 2016, the trade volume between the two countries reached $5 billion. A large number of Turkish companies, especially construction giants such as Mapa and Yuksel, are active in the Kingdom. The construction projects Turkish contractors have undertaken in Saudi Arabia since 1972 exceed $17 billion.
Key regional issues to top agenda of Saudi-Turkish talks
Key regional issues to top agenda of Saudi-Turkish talks
Threat to Kingdom’s security is ‘red line’ that will be ‘addressed and neutralized,’ Saudi envoy says
- Abdulaziz Alwasil tells UN Security Council the situation in southern Yemen is ‘a just cause with social and historic dimensions’ that can only be resolved through dialogue
- Recent military activity in the south was unilateral, resulting in an escalation that harms the interests of Yemeni people and undermines efforts to address issues in the south, he said
NEW YORK CITY: Any attempt to threaten Saudi Arabia’s national security is a “red line” and will be met with decisive action, the Kingdom’s ambassador to the UN told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Speaking during a meeting of the council to discuss Yemen, Abdulaziz Alwasil said the situation in the south of the country is “a just cause with social and historic dimensions” that can only be resolved through dialogue.
“We stress that any attempt to threaten our national security is a red line, and we will not hesitate to take the necessary actions and steps to address it and neutralize it,” he added.
Alwasil reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for Yemeni President Rashad Al-Alimi, the Presidential Leadership Council, and the Yemeni government in their efforts to achieve security, stability, development and peace while preserving national unity.
He said military activity by Southern Transitional Council forces in Hadramout and Al-Mahra on Dec. 2, 2025, was unilateral, did not have the approval of the Presidential Leadership Council, and was not carried out in coordination with the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.
It had resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of the Yemeni people, undermined efforts to address the issues in the south, and ran counter to the coalition’s objectives, Alwasil added.
The Kingdom, working with its coalition partners, the Presidential Leadership Council and the Yemeni government, had moved to contain the situation by dispatching a military force to coordinate arrangements with the Southern Transitional Council in Aden, he said.
The aim was to ensure the return of the southern council’s forces to their previous positions outside of Hadramout and Al-Mahra, and the handover of camps to legitimate government forces and local authorities in line with agreed procedures, Alwasil added.
He expressed regret over the military operations that took place in Hadramout and Al-Mahra, close to Saudi Arabia’s southern border, which he said posed a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security, as well as the security of Yemen and regional stability. Such steps were extremely dangerous, he added, and contradicted the principles on which the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen had been founded.
Alwasil welcomed a prisoner and detainee exchange agreement signed in Muscat on Dec. 23, which he described as an important humanitarian measure to alleviate suffering and build confidence.
He praised Oman for hosting and sponsoring the consultations and supporting negotiations, and commended the efforts of UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, the International Committee of the Red Cross and all others that has played a part.
Regarding the political efforts to resolve the crisis, Alwasil said Saudi Arabia welcomed President Al-Alimi’s call for an inclusive conference in Riyadh to bring together all stakeholders to discuss just solutions to the situation in southern Yemen.
Preparations for the conference have begun, he added, in cooperation with the Yemeni government and southern representatives, reflecting the close ties between the two countries and their shared interests in stabilizing Yemen.
He urged all southern stakeholders to participate actively and constructively in the talks, to help find comprehensive and just solutions that meet the legitimate aspirations of the people of southern Yemen.
Alwasil called on all Yemeni forces and stakeholders to cooperate and intensify their efforts to reach a lasting political settlement that would ensure security and stability.
He described the southern issue as “a just cause with social and historic dimensions,” adding that “the only way to address it is through dialogue that leads to a comprehensive political solution” based on nationally and internationally agreed terms of reference.
