She is expected to hold wide-ranging talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and other Saudi leaders.
Ashton, who was in Cairo Thursday, will visit several countries in the region, including Qatar and the UAE, to hold consultations on regional issues, including political crises in Yemen, Libya and Iran, according to Luigi Narbone, chief of the Delegation of European Commission, in Riyadh.
Narbone said Ashton would exchange her views with high-ranking Saudi officials, including Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, on “a number topics of common concern.”
Her talks with also focus on how to boost Saudi-EU ties especially in the fields of energy and research.
Narbone pointed out that the two-day visit is significant keeping in view the fact that the EU had established “promising foundations for more effective support for the region.”
The European bloc has been seeking a greater stake in the Middle East, said Narbone, adding that the EU foreign policy chief would travel from Riyadh to Doha on Monday. She will also attend the GCC-EU foreign ministers' meeting in Abu Dhabi on April 20.
