Turkish President Abdullah Gul held talks in Riyadh on Wednesday within a four-day visit to Saudi Arabia to discuss the Middle East conflict and promote stronger economic ties between the two countries. Speaking before his departure to the Saudi capital Tuesday, Gul said he and King Abdullah would discuss the situation in the Middle East after "the tragedy in Gaza" as well as developments in Iraq. "We will discuss what we can do together for lasting peace and stability in the region," he told reporters.
Turkey took an active role in efforts to end the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip and vehemently criticized Israel, a close ally, for the deadly offensive.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday stormed out of a debate on the Gaza war at the World Economic Forum in Davos after a clash with Israeli President Shimon Peres, saying Israel committed "barbarian" acts in the Hamas-ruled territory.
Gul said he would also promote economic exchanges between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, stressing that the target was to boost the bilateral trade volume from the current level of about $5.5 billion (4.3 billion euros) to $10 billion in 2010.