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New Era in Turkish Ties
Arab News 

CAIRO/ANKARA, 11 November 2007 � Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday concluded his landmark visit to Turkey which opened a new era in political, economic and security relations between the two Islamic countries. The king later arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. During their talks, Abdullah and Mubarak called for a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue and the setting up of an independent Palestinian state on the basis of the Arab peace initiative and UN resolutions. The two leaders also discussed the situation in Iraq and Lebanon. King Abdullah briefed Mubarak on his European tour, which had taken him to Britain, Italy, Germany and Turkey.

In an earlier statement, King Abdullah said the Arab peace initiative, which was originally proposed by him, offered a historic opportunity for the world to end the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Speaking at a banquet hosted by Turkish President Abdullah Gul at the presidential palace, King Abdullah said the protracted Palestinian issue was the principal reason for many problems in the Middle East. �Tragedies will continue if the Palestinian issue remains unresolved,� he added.

�I believe that the peace initiative, which has been unanimously approved by Arab countries, represents a historic and unique opportunity to achieve a just and comprehensive peace and we look forward to working with you to achieve this goal,� the king told Turkish leaders.

Abdullah�s statement comes ahead of an international Middle East peace conference called by US President George W. Bush. Saudi Arabia has insisted that the conference tackle core issues of the conflict if it is to be successful.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Turkey yesterday agreed to expand their political, economic and security cooperation following talks between King Abdullah, President Gul and Prime Minister Racep Tayyip Erdogan. A joint declaration was signed by Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan.

�The two sides will intensify their consultation and cooperation on regional issues of mutual importance, exchange high-level visits regularly and coordinate in the political, cultural, security and legal fields, especially in combating terrorism and crimes,� it said.

The two countries also agreed to expand their investment and trade cooperation by removing all obstacles and encouraging the exchange of visits by businessmen. They will open branches of Saudi and Turkish banks in the two countries and facilitate the inflow of investment. The declaration said Saudis would explore investment opportunities in Turkey�s industrial and agricultural sectors.

Source: Arab News

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