New Saudi king meets Turkish President Erdogan, signaling thaw in diplomatic relations

In this photo provided by the Saudi Press Agency, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, prays at the Prophet Mohammed Mosque, the second holiest site in Islam, in the Saudi holy city of Medina, Monday, March 2, 2015. Saudi King Salman is scheduled to meet Monday with Erdogan. (AP Photo/SPA) (The Associated Press)

In this photo provided by the Saudi Press Agency, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, third right, prays at the Prophet Mohammed Mosque, the second holiest site in Islam, in the Saudi holy city of Medina, Monday, March 2, 2015. Saudi King Salman is scheduled to meet Monday with Erdogan. (AP Photo/SPA) (The Associated Press)

The official Saudi Press Agency says King Salman met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital, Riyadh, where discussion centered on the ongoing war in Syria, Iran nuclear talks and the turmoil in Yemen.

The meeting marks a thaw in diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which had been tense under the late Saudi King Abdullah largely due to Erdogan's criticism of Egypt's military-led ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi from power.

Under King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia branded Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group a terrorist organization, while Turkey welcomed Brotherhood figures seeking refuge.

Erdogan was last in Saudi Arabia in January for Abdullah's funeral. Before meeting with Salman, he performed the Islamic pilgrimage in Mecca and visited the first mosque built by the Prophet Muhammad in Medina.