Moroccan Tourism Minister Lahcen Haddad, who is here to attend the 29th Janadriyah heritage and cultural festival, met Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) at the SCTA headquarters on Wednesday.

The two officials discussed mutual relations and means to bolster bilateral ties in the field of antiquities, museums, urban heritage and eco-tourism.

During the visit, Haddad also attended a presentation on SCTA’s programs and projects in tourism and national heritage.

Prince Sultan welcomed the Moroccan minister’s visit, praising the historic and strong relations binding the Kingdom and Morocco in different areas, especially tourism.

“We are pleased with the visit of our special guests from Morocco. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, are paying special attention to the relationship with the Kingdom of Morocco. Our cooperation with Morocco began since the early stages of SCTA’s foundation, and we seek to benefit from Morocco’s experience in tourism,” said Prince Sultan.

“We agreed to expand our cooperation efforts, especially after the issuance of several resolutions by the government recently, the most important of which is the “King Abdullah Project for Caring of the Cultural Heritage in the Kingdom,” the SCTA president added.

We will continue to cooperate in the enhancement of tourism investments in both the countries, as Morocco is a powerhouse in this field and we expect to benefit greatly from it,” he noted.

In his turn, the Moroccan minister thanked Prince Sultan for the invitation and praised the progress reached by the Kingdom in the field of tourism.

“We exchanged opinions on the proper ways of developing the antiquities sector, as the Kingdom is witnessing great progress in the field of tourism and heritage. There are important projects and great efforts are being made to boost Saudi tourism,” said Haddad, adding, “We will benefit and be part of the Saudi experience and place our humble experience within the reach of Saudi hands. Also we want to benefit from their international experience and from Saudi investments in Morocco. We will set a mechanism to ensure our partnership is put into effect for the benefit of both countries.”

The meeting was also attended by a delegation of high officials from the two sides.