Al-Salem made the comments following talks between members of the Shoura Council and the visiting delegation from Georgia headed by Georgian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Jala at Shoura Council headquarters on Saturday.

“The meeting discussed aspects of bilateral cooperation at the level of parliamentary relations between the Shoura Council and the Georgian Parliament,” Al-Salem said, adding that both sides feel that by promoting parliamentary friendship, the two countries could forge ahead in the development of political, economic and cultural relations.

During the meeting, they also discussed a number of topics and issues of common interest between the Kingdom and Georgia and reviewed bilateral relations that bind the two friendly countries in various fields of cooperation. In response to Al-Salem's statement, Jala said his country is keen on deepening bilateral relations since it is pleased and honored to associate with the Kingdom.

Yekaterina Mayering Mikadze, the Georgian ambassador to Kuwait, who is also accredited to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and the UAE, was also present during the discussions.

The visiting dignitary also met with Commerce and Industry Minister Adullah Zainal Alireza on Saturday. They discussed bilateral trade and industrial relations and ways of developing them further.

“They also reviewed prospects of utilizing all available opportunities and incentives, and the promotion of trade and industrial cooperation to encourage the private sector in both countries,” a statement from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Commerce and Industry Minister for Foreign Trade Abdullah Al-Hamoudi on Saturday. In 2009, the volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached SR66 million.