His Excellency Abdullah Gul, President of the Republic of Turkey, who is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, paid a visit to the headquarters of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Jeddah and met with the OIC Secretary General, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.

The Secretary General expressed his appreciation for the palpable efforts undertaken by Turkey in support of the OIC and discussed with President Gul the role that the OIC plays in serving the countries and peoples of the Member States.

They also discussed the best ways and means of fostering relations between the Turkish Republic and the OIC as well as the various initiatives and projects undertaken by the OIC General Secretariat.

For his part, President Gul expressed his appreciation for the multi-level efforts deployed by the OIC and the Secretary General in order to address the challenges facing the Islamic world, particularly the Palestinian issue. He emphasized Turkey's continued and unflinching support for these efforts for the sake of achieving the noble objectives pursued by the OIC.