RIYADH, 5 May, 2021 (TON): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz have discussed bilateral ties in a call on Tuesday.  

This is  the second conversation between both the leaders in less than a month. 

In a brief statement issued by Turkey’s communications directorate late on Tuesday, said the two leaders “evaluated” matters on issues affecting both countries “and steps to be taken to further the cooperation”. 

While Turkey and Saudi Arabia are major economic partners, the two have a tense political relationship.  

Turkey is looking to repair relations with Saudi Arabia after they were thrown into crisis by the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by a Saudi hit squad inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul. 

Last year, Saudi businessmen endorsed an unofficial boycott of Turkish goods in response to what they called hostility from Ankara, slashing the value of trade by 98 percent. 

Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin last month said that Erdogan and King Salman had “a good call” in April and that the foreign ministers of the two countries had agreed to meet. 

Tuesday’s conversation came a day before a meeting between Turkish and Egyptian officials in Cairo, the latest step in Turkey’s push to mend relations with another United States-allied Arab power. 

Relations have been strained since Egypt’s army ousted in 2013 Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi, who was close to Turkey. Recently, however, Turkey has begun working to rebuild ties with Egypt and other Gulf states.