RIYADH, 9 March 2005 — Crown Prince Abdullah and visiting Azeri President Ilham Aliyev yesterday held wide-ranging talks that focused on regional and international issues. Special areas of discussion were Saudi-Azeri cooperation in political, commercial and cultural fields. The talks will be followed by the signing of three major agreements between Saudi Arabia and the Muslim-majority Azeri republic here today.
President Aliyev, during his three-day official trip, will also witness the signing of an SR67.5 million loan agreement with the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), said Azeri diplomat Naghi Jaabbarov. There are other agreements on boosting cooperation in education and investment protection.
In the talks yesterday, the two leaders shared common views, visions and approaches on a number of bilateral and international issues. New developments in the Arab world including Syria and Iraq, the Middle East peace process, terrorism threats and the status of Azerbaijan’s conflict with Armenia were high on the agenda.
The talks comes within the framework of the mandate of an MoU signed by Riyadh and Baku early this year which calls for holding periodic political consultations.
Azerbaijan seeks to develop ties with Saudi Arabia in the fields of economy, trade, tourism and health care.
