Saudi Arabia and Turkey agree on close cooperation

Saudi Arabia and Turkey aim for close strategic cooperation at the highest level. The two states decided to create a joint council that deals, inter alia, with security issues, and also agreed to increase military, political and economic cooperation, said Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubair. Earlier, King Salman met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital of Riyadh.

The council is chaired by the foreign ministers of both countries, which will allow relations to take a "quantum leap" forward, as Al Jubair said. Saudi Arabia is the closest US and EU ally in the Middle East. Turkey, a NATO country, even from the United States, was recently called for moderation over the war in Iraq. The EU is pinning its hopes on Turkey in solving the refugee problem. Saudi Arabia has an Islamist monarchy that accepts human rights only to a limited extent. The country is suffering from low oil prices and the economic crisis. Turkey, in turn, is also grappling with economic problems due to Russia's comprehensive sanctions against Ankara. These countries have a lot in common. Both countries are seeking to expand their influence in the region. However, they face a strong alliance between Russia, Iraq, Syria and Iran.

Saudi Arabia in the middle of the month established a new military alliance to combat terrorism in its own way, which involves the participation of 34 countries in the "Islamic coalition" headquartered in Riyadh. The alliance wants to fight all "terrorist organizations", as Al-Jubair said, adding that Turkey also supports the new coalition on many political issues.