Saudi Arabia, Turkey discuss boosting trade ties at G20 meeting

Turkey and Saudi Arabia discussed expanding trade as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeks to stregthen bilateral ties and attract more foreign investment for his country’s embattled economy.

Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat met with his Saudi counterpart, Majid al-Qasabi, in Jaipur, India, on the sidelines of a meeting of trade ministers of G-20 nations, according to a statement from the Turkish Trade Ministry released on Saturday.

Ties between Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been strengthening after the two countries made efforts to improve ties over the past two years. Riyadh agreed to resume imports of Turkish meat and dairy products after the Turkish leader met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Saudi Arabia in July.

“We assessed specific steps that can be taken on issues such as bilateral trade, contracting services, cooperation opportunities within the scope of Saudi Arabia’s 2030 vision,” Bolat said in the Turkish ministry statement. “We believe that we will further develop our commercial relations in line with the high-level cooperation between our countries.”

Turkey recently has also been pursuing better relations with other Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, and Bolat also discussed ways to increase investment and trade with Thani Al Zeyoudi, the UAE’s minister of state for foreign trade, his office said.