Riyadh, Ankara Agree on 21 Cooperation Initiatives

Asharq Al-Awsat

20-05-2025

Turkish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dr. Emrullah Isler revealed that Ankara and Riyadh agreed on 21 tangible cooperation initiatives that cover a 'wide range of sectors' during the second meeting of Saudi-Turkish Coordination Council that was held in Riyadh on Sunday.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said the initiatives cover political and diplomatic affairs; the defense industry and security; trade and investment; education and healthcare; and culture, media and tourism.
Ankara is 'very relieved' with the recent noticeable momentum in close cooperation and friendly relations with Saudi Arabia, he added.
Saudi Arabia and Türkiye are not only working on the bilateral level, but they are closely cooperating to preserve regional peace and stability and tackling global affairs, stressed the ambassador.
The Saudi-Turkish Coordination Council meeting underscored the strategic bilateral ties between their countries, saying they have helped bolster comprehensive cooperation.
The council expected ties to be elevated much further in several domains, most notably in trade, investment, transportation, the defense industry, tourism and healthcare.
It noted the size of the trade exchange between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, which reached a record 7.9 billion dollars in 2025. A goal has been set to increase the number to 10 billion dollars in the near future.
Isler said Türkiye is confident that the practical steps and joint projects and partnerships that will be reached in the future will 'take Turkish-Saudi ties to broader horizons.'
Preparations are already underway to hold the third Saudi-Turkish Coordination Council meeting in Türkiye next year, he revealed.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan had chaired Sunday's meeting.