ANKARA, Turkey - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has arrived in Turkey, the first visit by a Saudi monarch to the secular Turkish state in 40 years.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (R) and Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (L) pose for pictures before a meeting in Ankara August 8, 2006. [Reuters]

The three-day trip, which began Tuesday, marks a warming of ties between the oil-rich Islamic kingdom and the overwhelmingly Muslim, but secular Turkish state.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose party has roots in Turkey's Islamic movement, is cultivating ties with the Islamic world and the Middle East.

Abdullah was welcomed by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and other government officials at Ankara's Esenboga airport.

Abdullah discussed ways of increasing bilateral trade during his meetings with Erdogan and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer in Ankara. The king oversaw the signing of a number of economic cooperation agreements and will travel Wednesday to Istanbul to meet with business groups and visit historic sites.

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal warned in an interview published Monday in the Milliyet newspaper that Saudi patience was wearing thin with Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

The last visit of a Saudi monarch to Turkey was some 40 years ago when King Faisal visited for a summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, al-Faisal said, according to Milliyet.

Al-Faisal said Saudi Arabia and Turkey _ a candidate for EU membership _ could become strategic partners, the paper reported, adding that Turkey's membership in the bloc would contribute to the region's problems being understood by the West.

Abdullah, who took the throne last year, has already visited China, India, Malaysia and Pakistan as head of state.