
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday (by local time) arrived in Saudi Arabia. This is Erdogan's first visit to Saudi Arabia after Saudi-critic Jamal Khashoggi killing in Turkey. Erdogan is hoping to start a new chapter in relations between the two countries. There have been intense efforts to repair relations.
Turkish presidency said that Erdogan met King Salma in an official ceremony in the city of Jeddah.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, attended the ceremony before having a one-on-one meeting with Erdogan, Ankara's communication office said on Twitter.
Erdogan's office says that his visit to Saudi Arabia has been at the invitation of the Saudi king. The visit marks the culmination of a months-long drive to mend ties that included dropping a trial over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018.
Analysts and officials say Saudi funding could help Turkey alleviate its economic woes, including soaring inflation, ahead of tough elections for Erdogan next year.
Bilateral relations were badly strained after Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by a Saudi hit squad at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in 2018. At the time, Erdogan accused the "highest levels" of the Saudi government of giving the orders, but Ankara has since markedly softened its tone.
In a policy reversal, Turkey this month halted and transferred its own trial of the Saudi suspects in the killing to Saudi Arabia in a move condemned by human rights groups.
Erdogan, while speaking with reporters before departing for Jeddah that the visit was "the manifestation of our common will" to improve ties a
He added it would be mutually beneficial to boost cooperation in areas including health, energy, food security, defence industry, and finance.
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"With common efforts, I believe we will carry our ties even beyond where they were in the past," he said.
(With inputs from agencies)