Turkish, Saudi leaders vow to boost cooperation between two countries

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and visitng Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz stressed further cooperation in every field between two countries during their talks in Ankara on Tuesday, said a Turkish presidential source who asked not to be named.

Erdogan and King Salman discussed bilateral issues as well as regional matters, particularly the conflict in Syria, said the source.

Erdogan welcomed Salman with an official ceremony at his presidential palace on Tuesday, the first day of the Saudi monarch's official visit to Ankara. The Saudi monarch will proceed to Istanbul later this week for a summit of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The Turkish president bestowed the Order of the State of Republic of Turkey -- the highest state order awarded to foreign nationals by the President of the Republic of Turkey -- saying the Saudi monarch had exerted "great efforts" to forge friendly ties since taking the throne.

"My precious friend, my dear brother, since acceding to the throne in Saudi Arabia, you have made great contributions to development of friendly relations between our countries," Erdogan said during the presentation of the medal.

"You have constituted an assurance for regional peace, security, serenity and stability with your astute administration. In this regard, the cooperation and the solidarity you have displayed with our country are beyond all kinds of appreciation. Turkey and Saudi Arabia's further deepening of their cooperation in every field with your support is an opportunity for regional and global peace," Erdogan said.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey are both strong supporters of the opposition forces in Syria and have been building strong military ties. Turkey participated in military drills in Saudi Arabia this year. Riyadh has deployed warplanes at a Turkish air base as part of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS).

Salman's visit to Turkey comes shortly after he arrived on his first official visit to Egypt on Thursday, with Cairo saying it was hoping to boost ties with its most important Arab ally and garner trade deals to help bolster its economy.

For his part, Salman delivered a brief speech in which he expressed "gratitude" for the presentation of the medal and voiced appreciation of Saudi Arabia's relations with both the Turkish people and the Turkish government. Endit