Turkey and Saudi Arabia are expected to sign an agreement scrapping visa requirements for their citizens during talks between the foreign ministers of the two countries in Ankara on Wednesday, Reuters reported, citing a Turkish diplomatic source.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, are scheduled to co-chair a meeting of the Turkey-Saudi Coordination Council, the source said.
The planned agreement is expected to cover holders of both ordinary and diplomatic passports, according to Reuters.
The move will mark a further step in the normalization of relations between Ankara and Riyadh, which were badly strained after the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate General in İstanbul.
Turkey at the time accused senior Saudi officials of orchestrating the killing, a charge Riyadh denied. The two countries have taken steps since 2020 to repair ties, including high-level visits and efforts to expand economic and diplomatic cooperation.
Fidan is also expected to reiterate Turkey’s call for “regional ownership” in addressing Middle East crises, Reuters reported. He is expected to say Ankara will continue to contribute constructively to efforts to end the war involving Iran and promote regional stability.
The planned meeting comes as Turkey has sought to deepen ties with Gulf countries after years of tension, with Ankara and Riyadh increasingly emphasizing cooperation on trade, investment and regional diplomacy.