Turkey willing to lift visa requirement with Saudi Arabia

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday "Turkey's attitude in the Middle East was shaped by an humanitarian attitude based on our own values".

Erdogan's comments came at a joint press conference with the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, after he was asked if Turkey's developing positive attitude towards the Arab people would make a change in Turkey's EU membership process.

We have displayed our attitude in Georgia and elsewhere in the world. The EU can never change it. We do not look at the EU as a Christian club but rather as a political club. There is no other country that has waited for 50 years at the EU's door. The EU has not acted fairly here, Erdogan noted.

Asked if mutual visa requirement between Turkey and Saudi Arabia would be ended, Erdogan said that a development would take place involving diplomats and business people.

At the beginning of the joint press conference, Erdogan said that Saudi Arabia and Turkey were two brotherly countries.

We have discussed what we could do in the fields of military, economy, commerce and politics, Erdogan said.

In 2008, the Turkish-Saudi Arabian trade volume was six billion USD. We have discussed raising this amount to 10 billion USD in the next two years, Erdogan said.

We have talked about the issue of energy. Turkey and Saudi Arabia share a joint will in the matter of energy, Erdogan said.

Erdogan thanked Saudi Arabian officials for the hospitality displayed.

I am proud to receive the "Service to Islam" award by the King Faisal Foundation. This award will increase our responsibility, Erdogan also said.

/World Bulletin/