President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan departed from Atatürk Airport to Saudi Arabia at 14.20 for an official visit.
After saluting the military parade guard on the apron, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, AK Party Istanbul Provincial Chairman Osman Nuri Kabaktepe, and other officials bade farewell to President Erdoğan.
At King Abdulaziz International Airport, President Erdoğan was welcomed by Deputy Emir of Jeddah Badr Bin Sultan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye's Ambassador to Riyadh Fatih Ulusoy, Türkiye's Ambassador to Yemen Mustafa Pulat, and Türkiye's Permanent Representative to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Ambassador Mehmet Metin Eker.
President Erdoğan and his wife Emine Erdoğan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of National Defence Yaşar Güler, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat, AK Party (Justice and Development Party) Deputy Chairmen Ömer Çelik and Zafer Sırakaya, Members of Parliament Hulusi Akar, Mustafa Varank, Nureddin Nebati of AK Party and Member of Parliament İsmail Faruk Aksu of MHP (Nationalist Movement Party), Presidency's Director of Administrative Affairs Metin Kıratlı, Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun, Director of National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) İbrahim Kalın, President of Defence Industry Agency Haluk Görgün, Director of State Archives Uğur Ünal, Chief Advisor to the President Ambassador Akif Çağatay Kılıç also arrived in Jeddah.
President Erdoğan will be welcomed with an official ceremony at the Al Salam Palace as part of his contacts in Jeddah and will attend tete-a-tete and inter-delegation meetings with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia.
President Erdoğan will also attend the official dinner to be held in his honour.
During the meetings to be held in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, where President Erdoğan will pay official visits between July 17-19, it is envisaged that bilateral relations with these countries will be reviewed in all their dimensions, efforts to be carried out to improve collaborations in various sectors, particularly projects in the fields of economy and investment, will be discussed, and ideas will be exchanged on global and regional issues.
Following these contacts, President Erdoğan will be visiting the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on July 20, on the occasion of Peace and Freedom Day.
President Erdoğan, who will attend the official ceremony to be held in the TRNC, will exchange views with TRNC President Ersin Tatar on the latest developments in the context of the Cyprus issue, as well as bilateral relations, and will inaugurate the new terminal building and runway of Ercan Airport.