Taghribnews (TNA) - Saudi crown prince to visit Turkey as Riyadh, Ankara mend ties

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has approved a trip by Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman next week as the two countries are improving the relations marred over brutal murder of Saudi dissent journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"The crown prince will visit Wednesday, we will welcome him," Erdogan told reporters after Friday prayers. "We will find the opportunity to discuss how to elevate bilateral ties to a much higher level."

This is while that according to the AFP news agency, the two countries are also expected to sign several agreements during the trip.

The rapprochement between the two countries has gained momentum after Turkey ended its trial of 26 suspects linked to Khashoggi's murder and transferred the case to the kingdom in early April.

Turkey had angered Saudi Arabia by vigorously pursuing the case at the time, opening an investigation and briefing international media about the lurid details of the murder.

Erdogan previously said that the "highest levels" of the Saudi government ordered the killing, although he never blamed Mohammed bin Salman directly.

Saudi Arabia responded at the time with an unofficial boycott of Turkish imports, putting pressure on Turkey’s economy.

In late April, Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia for the first time in five years where he embraced the crown prince, signaling that the previous cold relationship between the two countries is now over.

A US resident, Khashoggi was assassinated and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 2018, after going there to get paperwork for his upcoming marriage. His remains have never been found.