RIYADH, 19 March 2006 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Austrian President Heinz Fischer held wide-ranging talks on bilateral and regional issues here yesterday.
President Fischer, who arrived in Saudi Arabia with his wife Margit on a three-day state visit, was received at the Riyadh Air Base by King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, and high-ranking officials.
In their talks, King Abdullah and President Fischer, whose country is the current EU president, discussed the Middle East peace process, Iran’s nuclear aspirations, the situation in Iraq, terrorism and tensions between Lebanon and Syria.
Fischer has been quoted as saying that the issue of funding the Hamas-led government in Palestine will also figure in the talks. The EU is the biggest provider of aid to the Palestinians, giving an annual $510 million.
The Austrian delegation comprises high-ranking officials and leading businessmen from Vienna representing different sectors, including construction, finance, energy, and medical and health care services. Austrian businessmen have shown keen interest in cooperating with Saudi companies in different sectors.
Austrian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Friedrich Stift said that the Austrian leader would meet today with Prince Salman, governor of Riyadh region. A Saudi-Austrian Joint Economic Commission meeting will also be held today. Stift said that an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation would be signed. On commercial front, the ambassador said that Riyadh and Vienna would seek closer trade and cultural ties.
Among some recent moves in Saudi-Austrian relations, a Saudi recently purchased Burgenland mineral water of Austria for 2.3 million euros. Likewise, the Austrian company Rosenbauer has sold a large number of firefighting trucks to the Kingdom.
There are nearly 300 Austrian companies that have direct or indirect presence in the Kingdom. A highlight of the progressively growing Saudi-Austrian relationship was the state visit of the then Crown Prince Abdullah to Austria in April 2004. Prince Nawaf ibn Faisal ibn Fahd, deputy chief of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare, visited Vienna on Dec 29. The Austrian president is also scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates during this Middle East tour.
