RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan was received by Turkish President Recep Erdogan in Istanbul on Sunday on an official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The also spoke about regional developments and efforts to ensure stability in the region.

The meeting between Prince Faisal and the Turkish president was also attended by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs, Saud Al-Sati, and Saudi ambassador to Turkiye Fahad Abu Al-Nasr.

Prince Faisal was received on his arrival at Ataturk International Airport by the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Noah Yilmaz.  

During his visit Prince Faisal also met with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan and said in a press conference that Saudi-Turkish relations were witnessing remarkable progress in all political, economic and security fields.

He noted the volume of trade exchange between the two countries amounted to $6.8 billion in 2023, achieving a growth of 15% from the previous year.

He added that he was looking forward to more economic cooperation, especially with the second session of the Saudi-Turkish Coordination Council in Riyadh coming up. 

Prince Faisal also revealed he and Fidan spoke about a number of regional issues, most notably the Palestinian issue and the Israeli attack on Gaza. He said the Kingdom and Turkey had identical political positions, stressing that the two countries seek to revive the peace process in the region and continue efforts to stop the Israeli killing and destruction machine. 

Saudi Arabia and Turkiye also want to prevent the forced displacement of Palestinians, enable the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and grant the Palestinian people the right to self-determination by establishing an independent and internationally recognized Palestinian state, he added.