Davutoğlu went to the Kaaba in Mecca on the first day of his visit. He was scheduled to hold talks with Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, the secretary-general of the Jeddah-based Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), in the evening after Today’s Zaman went into print.
Today, Davutoğlu is scheduled to visit Riyadh where he will hold talks with al-Faisal. Tomorrow he will also meet with Saudi King Abdullah ahead of his departure for Turkey. His planned contacts in Saudi Arabia include meetings with senior executives of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).
In addition to bilateral relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the stalled Middle East peace process is also expected to be on the agenda of Davutoğlu’s talks with Saudi officials. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is scheduled to pay a visit to Ankara next week, was in Riyadh earlier this week. In addition to criticizing Israel’s settlement policy, the Turkish side is likely to highlight the importance it attaches to maintaining national reconciliation among the groups for the sake of the Palestinian cause.
