Saudi Arabia National Day celebrated in Ankara
The National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was celebrated with a reception held in Ankara.
İHA
The reception held at a hotel in Ankara for the 94th anniversary of Saudi Arabia's National Day began with the playing of the Turkish National Anthem and the Saudi Arabian national anthem.
The reception was attended by Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, Chief of General Staff Metin Gürak, Commander of the Land Forces Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, Commander of the Air Force Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu, Commander of the Naval Forces Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, President of Religious Affairs Ali Erbaş, and Ankara Governor Vasip Şahin, as well as many foreign heads of mission.
In his opening speech at the reception, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Ankara Fahad Bin Assaad Bin Abdulkareem Bin Abualnasr touched upon the bilateral relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, noting that coordination between the two countries continues, particularly through the Gaza Contact Group established following the Arab-Islamic Summit.
Ambassador Abualnasr also stated that the trade volume between Saudi Arabia and Turkey reached 6.8 billion dollars in 2023, adding that the number of Saudi tourists visiting Turkey in 2023 exceeded 800 thousand, and that the "Mecca Route" project implemented at Istanbul and Ankara airports has provided convenience for Turkish pilgrims.
"WE ARE CARRYING OUT PRODUCTIVE ACTIONS"
Minister of National Defense Güler said, "We continue our cooperation with Saudi Arabia in various fields. In particular, our economic and trade volume is reaching higher levels day by day. Projects in the fields of energy, logistics, and transportation are also adding strength to our countries.
As a ministry, we are also holding talks with our Saudi Arabian counterparts in the field of defense and security, and we are carrying out productive actions.
In particular, the fact that we carry out military training activities and various exercises together is the most concrete indicator of our solidarity in this field. At the same time, joint projects carried out in the fields of defense industry and defense technology contribute to the prosperity of our countries," he said.