ANKARA // Turkey on Tuesday decorated Saudi Arabia's King Salman with the country's highest state medal in recognition of the close ties between the two countries.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan bestowed the medal, saying the Saudi monarch had exerted great efforts to forge friendly ties since taking the throne.
Mr Erdogan on Tuesday hosted King Salman at his presidential palace in Ankara, extending his guest a lavish welcome that underlined the growing importance of Ankara-Riyadh ties.
After a period of tension, Saudi Arabia under King Salman has emerged as one of Mr Erdogan's key allies with the two countries in particular sharing a common vision on the Syria conflict.
King Salman was met by Mr Erdogan at his vast new presidential palace with an honour guard of Turkish soldiers as well as 16 costumed warriors representing the various Turkic empires in world history.
Mocked when they first appeared in 2015, the spear-carrying and mustachioed warriors are now regularly brought out for Mr Erdogan's most honoured guests.
King Salman and his delegation were set to hold meet the Turkish leader before heading to Istanbul for the summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Saudi Arabia and Turkey both believe the ousting of president Bashar Al Assad is the key to solving the Syrian conflict and back rebel groups fighting his regime.
The two Sunni Muslim powers have in recent months moved to considerably tighten relations that had been damaged by Riyadh's role in the 2013 ousting of Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, a close ally of Ankara.
Mr Erdogan appears to have built close ties with King Salman after he became king in January 2015 following the death of his half brother Abdullah.
In February, Turkey began hosting Saudi jets and military personnel and its Incirlik air base to join the air campaign against ISIL fighters.
The lavish arrangements made for King Salman's visit have also raised eyebrows in the Turkish press.
* Associated Press and Agence France-Presse
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