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Jeddah — Saudi Arabia cannot allow Turkey to set up a military base on its territory, Saudi Press Agency quoted an official source as saying on Saturday.
The source said that the Kingdom has no need for this.
The Saudi armed forces and military capabilities are at the best standards, and they have successfully participated abroad including at Incirlik air base in Turkey for combating terrorism and protecting security and stability in the region, the source added.
Saudi Arabian sent war planes to Turkey’s Incirlik air force base in February 2016 as part of an anti-Daesh campaign.
On Friday evening, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received at Safa Palace in Makkah Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations and discussed developments in the region.
Meanwhile, a US Consulate in Turkey has alerted its citizens of heightened security in an Istanbul neighborhood because of a possible terror threat.
The statement released late Friday said the Turkish security presence was increased in the central district of Mecidiyekoy and cited a specific street. It said the consulate didn’t have additional information on the specifics of the threat and asked American citizens to remain vigilant.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement Saturday saying “US authorities made this statement based on normal precautions taken by our security forces rather than any concrete intelligence.”
The US issues security messages and travel warnings throughout the world to inform its citizens of threats and protests. The US Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued at least 22 such messages this year.
© The Saudi Gazette 2017
