Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. (Reuters/File Photo)
ANKARA: Turkey's foreign minister arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday for talks. Turkish officials had said Cavusoglu's visit could include talks on possible sales of Turkish drones to Saudi Arabia, which they said Riyadh had requested. The current violent clashes in Jerusalem may also overshadow the bilateral talks.
"In Saudi Arabia to discuss bilateral relations and important regional issues, especially the attacks at the Al Aqsa Mosque and the oppression against the Palestinian people," Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter upon his arrival in Saudi Arabia.
More than 300 Palestinians were wounded on Monday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.
Erdogan said on Saturday the ongoing clashes showed Israel was a "terror state", and that Ankara was working to mobilise international institutions. On Monday he spoke to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, state-owned Anadolu agency said.
Cavusoglu's trip was initially intended to focus on mending bilateral ties.
The rift over the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul prompted an unofficial Saudi trade boycott which slashed the value of Turkish imports by 98%.
Saudi Arabia is also closing eight Turkish schools in the kingdom, Anadolu reported last month.
Cavusoglu's two-day visit follows Turkey's talks last week with Egypt, another US-allied regional power, also aimed at repairing troubled relations.
A senior Turkish official said that the trade embargo and the conflicts in Syria and Libya would be discussed with the Saudis. A Saudi request for Turkish armed drones may also be on the agenda, two Turkish officials said.
Erdogan said in March Saudi Arabia sought to buy Turkish armed unmanned aerial vehicles. Several countries have shown interest in the drones, which were used in conflicts in Syria and Libya.
