PM Erdogan meets with Bahrani crown prince in Ankara

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday met with Bahraini Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who was in Ankara for an official visit. During the welcoming ceremony at the Prime Ministry, Al Khalifa saluted the honor guard. Prime Minister Erdogan later hosted a banquet in Al Khalifa's honor at the Prime Ministry residence. During the meeting, regional and international issues, especially recent events in Egypt and Tunisia, were discussed. At a joint news conference afterwards, Al Khalifa said the developments in Egypt and Tunisia were separate and that a domino effect in other Arab countries is not likely. On Turkish-Bahraini relations, Al Khalifa said the two countries could cooperate in such areas as contracting, food safety and services. On commercial ties, Erdogan said trade between Turkey and Bahrain rose from $150 million in 2009 to $244 million last year. "In line with our excellent political relations, we hope to take some steps to boost trade," he said.