Riyadh, July 18: Saudi Arabia agreed on Tuesday to buy Turkish drones, one of several lucrative contracts President Tayyip Erdogan secured for Turkey’s struggling economy as Ankara reaps the benefits of his recent diplomatic push to repair ties with Gulf Arab powers.
Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended the signing ceremony between Turkish defence firm Baykar and the Saudi defence ministry, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
Erdogan arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday as part of a three-day Gulf tour to strengthen regional ties.
Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman welcomed the Turkish president in Al-Sallam Palace with an official ceremony in Jeddah. The two leaders held official talks session and bilateral meeting.
They discussed bilateral relations and regional and international issues.
The Turkish president is accompanied by his Cabinet members and other Turkish officials.
During his visit to three Gulf countries, Erdogan previously said that he wants to boost ties with them and finalize investment deals.
Addressing a news conference in Istanbul before he embarked on his Gulf tour, Erdogan said the diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia were established in 1929.
“We want to extend the solid foundations of our relations to an even wider area of cooperation,” he added.
Being one of the most important countries in the region, Saudi Arabia has a special place in areas such as trade, investments and contracting services, the Turkish president said.
“The value of the projects undertaken by our contractors in Saudi Arabia in the past 20 years is approximately $25 billion. We would like Turkish companies to play a greater role in Saudi Arabia’s large-scale projects,” he added.
Turkey’s Togg
After the completion of the ceremony, Turkish President Recep Tayyep Erdogan gifted Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with an electric car called Togg, which has been domestically produced in Turkey. The two leaders tested the Togg model, Turkey’s first electric car brand, in the courtyard of Al Salam Royal Palace, the Anadolu news agency reported.
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