Turkish, Saudi FMs discuss bilateral ties
The foreign ministers of Türkiye and Saudi Arabia discussed bilateral relations in a phone call on Wednesday, according to a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Mevlut Cavusoglu and Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud also spoke about regional developments, the statement said.
Ankara and Riyadh continue their efforts to restore bilateral ties that have been strained in recent years due to foreign policy differences. In late April, Erdogan paid a two-day working visit to Saudi Arabia.
Erdogan during his visit described the efforts to normalize relations as a "new era of cooperation." In June, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Türkiye as part of these efforts.
After mainland China relaxed COVID-19 response measures, Hong Kong on Wednesday followed the suit and said the city residents are no longer required to present proof of vaccination when entering public venues.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu told a news conference that the new steps were taken on the basis of the "wide vaccination" of city residents. Lee said Hong Kong already had a "relatively wide and comprehensive anti-epidemic barrier." The new measures are effective from.
"About 2.5 million people have been infected and (when the vaccination rate reaches) 94%, the pandemic risks are controllable," he said. "We will not return to the old road (of tightening pandemic control)," the daily South China Morning Post quoted Lee as saying.
Under the new measures, the administration in the semi-autonomous region has ended venue capacity limits, public group gathering limits, and the requirement of negative tests for arrivals.
"People will no longer have to undergo isolation at home if they are found to be close contacts of COVID-19 patients. But they are still required to undergo tests by themselves for at least five days," said Lee.