August 11, 2006

AN HISTORICAL VISIT BY THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES TO TURKEY. KING ABDULLAH REVIEWS WITH PRESIDENT AHMET NECDET SEZER BILATERAL RELATIONS, REGIONAL ISSUES AND FIGHTING TERRORISM. THE TURKISH PRESIDENT: YOUR VISIT OPENS A NEW ERA IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS. THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES TO SEZER: AS THE WORLD IN WHICH WE ARE LIVING IS ENCIRCLED BY DANGERS, IT HAS BECOME AN ESSENTIAL MATTER FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO ADOPT WISE AND BALANCED POLICIES. A ROYAL ORDER STATES THAT CROWN PRINCE SULTAN IBN ABDUL AZIZ IS IN CHARGE OF MANAGING THE KINGDOM'S AFFAIRS DURING THE KING'S VISIT TO TURKEY. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and Turkey's President Ahmet Necdet Sezer held official talks in Turkey. At the outset of the talks, the Turkish President expressed his best appreciation of the king and welcomed him. He noted that this visit is historical since it has been the first one paid by a Saudi monarch to Turkey, emphasizing the great importance of his country's relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. On his part, King Abdullah stressed deep relations between the two countries, noting that they are on the way of more rapprochement , cooperation and solidarity. The talks dealt with bilateral relations, the way of increasing trade exchange, economic cooperation and cultural contacts between the two countries. They also dealt with a number of issues of the region particularly Israeli attacks on Lebanon; the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, assertion of an utmost necessity for a cease fire to protect innocent civilians killed hourly as victims of the Israeli military operations. They also discussed the development of the situation in Iraq; rights of Islamic minorities in Europe; the role of Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC); Cyprus' issue; the danger of terrorism threatening the whole world and cooperation among countries to confront it. The meeting was attended by the delegation accompanying the king as well as Turkish ministers. Meanwhile a royal order has been issued stating that Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz is to manage the Kingdom's affairs during the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' visit to Turkey. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz left Jeddah for Ankara on an official visit to Turkey in response to an invitation extended to him by Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was seen off at King Abdul Aziz International Airport by Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Premier, Defense and Aviation Minister And Inspector General, Prince Miteb Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, other princes and senior officials. The official delegation accompanying the King includes Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, Prince Meqrin Ibn Abdul Aziz, the President of General Intelligence, other princes and senior officials. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz arrived in Ankara. At Ankara International Airport, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was received by Turkish Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul ; a number of Turkish officials; Prince Mohammed Ibn Nawaf Ibn Abdul Aziz, Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland; Saudi Ambassador to Turkey Dr. Mohammed Ibn Raja Al-Husseini; Turkish Ambassador to the kingdom Ogor Dogan; Dean of diplomatic corps in Ankara and Oman's Ambassador Mohammed Bin Nasser Al-Wahibi and members of the Saudi embassy. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz accompanied by the Turkish Foreign Minister went in an official procession to the palace where he and the accompanying delegation were officially received by Turkey's President Ahmet Necdet Sezer . The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz graced in Ankara the dinner party held in his honor by Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Speaking on the occasion, the Turkish President said the visit of King Abdullah to Turkey comes after 40 years from the official visit earlier paid by late King Faisal Ibn Abdul Aziz to Turkey, 'your visit provides a clear evidence for the joint political will for further cementing our deep-rooted bilateral relations', he said adding that the visit, which comes at the time when the region is passing critical circumstances, will have a great political and historical significance in bilateral relations. 'Turkey and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia are fraternal and friendly countries and their relations are steadily fostering and developing', he noted. The Turkish President pointed out that terrorism and proliferation of nuclear weapons contribute to undermining stability and security in the region. He expressed sorrow for the failure to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the problems facing the region for more than fifty years. 'The Arab-Israeli dispute requires an urgent and durable solution, and we do feel anxious for the ongoing clashes in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon', he said. As regards the Iraqi problem, he noted that racial and sectarian strife will threaten the future of Iraq. The Turkish President underscored the importance of joint cooperation, and hoped that security and stability would prevail in the region. The Turkish President pointed out to the unfair isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriots for more than 40 years, and said 'we do appreciate the support extended by late King Faisal to the Turkish Cypriots during his visit to Turkey in 1966'. he noted that the Turkish Cypriots will be awaiting for a just settlement. The Turkish president said the volume of trade exchange between Saudi Arabia and Turkey has amounted to $3 billion, and added 'every year thousands of Turks visit the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for performing Hajj and Umrah (minor Hajj), and at the same time the Turkish private sector has been successfully working in the field of investments' Moreover, about 82,000 Turks are residing in Saudi Arabia, he said. 'Turkey views the kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a friendly and fraternal country, and it is keen on further developing its relations with it in all domains', he said and added 'undoubtedly your visit will constitute a beginning for a new era in our relations, and we are aware of the fact that bilateral relations will further be enhanced in the future'. On his part King Abdullah expressed appreciation for the warm welcome given to him by the Turkish officials, and hailed the heartfelt feelings spelt out by the Turkish President. He noted that the Saudi-Turkish relations are deep-rooted relations and they go back to several centuries. The king said the two countries are linked with the bonds of religion, history, traditions and habits. These bonds have made the Saudi-Turkish relations distinguished relations and characterized with a special feature, said King Abdullah hoping that his current visit to Ankara would positively contribute to further strengthening these relations. 'As the world in which we are living is encircled by dangers, it has become an essential matter for the members of the international community to adopt wise and balanced policies , which are far away from precipitance', he said and added 'the current Israeli attack on the fraternal Lebanese people stands as a witness for the dangers facing the world'. The King expressed happiness for the Turkish reasonable stands which conform with the Saudi stands on a number of important issues. 'we work as you do for reaching a fair solution for the Palestinian problem, and we also work as you do to make the middle east free from atomic weapons'. The King added 'we believe as you do in the importance of positive dialogue among civilizations, and we share you the opinion in the importance of developing the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)'. He noted that OIC's Secretary General Ekmel-Eddin Oghlu has exerted successful efforts for the promotion of the performance of the OIC. 'this solid foundation of joint stands constitutes a strong base for cooperation between us in the present and the future, and we in the kingdom attach a great importance to this cooperation which will serve the interests of the Saudis and Turks as well as the interests of the entire region'. King Abdullah extended an invitation to the Turkish President to visit the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The dinner party was attended by the monarch's official accompanying delegation as well as a number of senior Turkish officials and members of the accredited diplomatic corps to Turkey. King Abdullah held talks with Prime Minister Erdogan. Some of the businessmen accompanying the king went for holding individual meetings before they assemble for a major businessmen's conference in Istanbul in the presence of King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz. In the presence of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and Turkey' s President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed six bilateral agreements. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister and Turkish Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral political consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries. A protocol of cooperation between Saudi National Center For Documents And Archives and Turkish General Department of State's Archives was signed by Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of State, Cabinet Member, Chief of the Court of Cabinet's Presidency, and Chairman of the Center's Board of Directors; and Abdullah Gul. An agreement on promotion and protection of mutual investment was signed by Dr. Ibrahim Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Assaf, the Minister of Finance and Turkish minister of State Ali Babacan . An agreement between the two ministries of finance on avoidance of dual taxation was signed by Dr. Al-Assaf and Turkish Minister of Finance Kemal Unakitan. A memorandum of understanding on cooperation in health fields between the ministries of health in the two countries was singed by Dr. Al-Assaf and Turkish minister of health Prof Dr. Recep Akdag. An agreement on organizing transportation of passengers and goods on roads was signed by Dr. Al-Assaf and Turkish minister of transport Binali Yildirim . The signing ceremony was attended by the official delegations of the two countries. Minister of Finance Dr Ibrahim Al-Assaf has underlined the importance of the visit of The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to Turkey, and said it will positively contribute to further enhancing the Saudi-Turkish economic relations. Dr Al-Assaf noted that talks will be held held with the Turkish officials on means for enhancing bilateral economic relations, and at the same time the Saudi and Turkish businessmen will explore means for implementing joint investment projects. He pointed out that the two agreements and memorandums of understanding signed in the presence of King Abdullah and the Turkish President come in line with the ongoing efforts to boost bilateral relations. In his statement to SPA, Dr Al-Assaf said despite the fact that the volume of trade exchange between Saudi Arabia and Turkey ranges between $2 and $2.5 billion ,yet we are optimistic that joint investment between the two countries will increase in the near future'. The Saudi Ambassador to Turkey said the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Turkey have identical views as regards combating all forms of terrorism and forging international cooperation in fighting this dangerous phenomenon. The two countries also hold similar stand in making the middle east region free from weapons of mass-destruction. "The two sides also reject the idea of civilizations conflict, and advocate constructive coexistence among the civilizations." In 2005, the exports of the kingdom to Turkey amounted $1,888,000,000, while the exports of Turkey to the kingdom in the same year were valued at $961,528,000. Meanwhile Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, said the visit by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz to Turkey will open a new chapter in the relations between the two counties. In an interview with the Turkish newspaper "Millet", he said King Abdullah's visit to Turkey will be the first official visit of a Saudi king to Turkey. Responding to questions, he hoped to see Turkey as a strategic partner of the kingdom. He added the two sides have a political will to develop political, economic and military cooperation. He ruled out that difference between the two regimes in the kingdom and Turkey would stand in the way of achieving partnership and cooperation between the two countries. The Foreign Minister condemned the destructive acts of aggression by Israel against Lebanon and said if Israel wants to live in this region, then it should live in peace with the people of this region. Responding to a question on his view of the project of the US new Middle East, he said, "We also want to see a new US and a new European Union. We believe that the people of this region are the ones who are authorized to introduce reform projects and not through foreign pressure." The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz arrived in Istanbul coming from Ankara within the framework of his official visit to Turkey. The Monarch was accompanied by Turkish Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and the Saudi official delegation. At Istanbul International Airport, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was received by Istanbul Governor Muammar Koler; Istanbul Mayor Kadir Tobash; Secretary General of Organization of Islamic Conference Ekmeleddin Ihsan Oglu; Prince Major General Pilot Mansour Ibn Bandar Ibn Abdul Aziz, Commander of King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Air Base; Saudi Consul General in Istanbul Ambassador Mohammed Jameel Hashim; Vice Consul General Salim Al-Mansour; consulate's members and a number of Turkish officials. earlier in the day, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques left Ankara. At Ankara International Airport, King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz was seen off by Ankara Governor Yahya Kor; a number of officials and members of the Saudi embassy in Ankara.