RIYADH: Seeking to build a strong and robust relationship between the Kingdom and Spain, King Felipe VI of Spain will begin a three-day official visit to Riyadh starting Saturday.

“The Spanish king, during his stay in the Saudi capital, will hold talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues,” said Spanish Ambassador Joaquin Perez-Villanueva, here Thursday.

Accompanied by a high-level business delegation including Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Alfonso Dastis Quecedo, and Minister of Transport Inigo Joaquin de la Serna Hernains, the Spanish king is also scheduled to hold consultations with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said the ambassador.

“The discussions with top Saudi officials will mainly focus on bilateral and regional issues of common interest with more political content,” said the Spanish envoy. He said that Spain has longstanding political and economic relations with the Kingdom, thanks in part to the excellent relationship between former King Juan Carlos and the Saudi royal family.

Asked about the purpose of the king’s visit, the Spanish diplomat said that Felipe’s visit to the Kingdom is mainly intended to exchange notes on key regional issues and drum up support for consolidating economic relations.

This is the first visit of King Felipe, who is the head of Spanish state and commander-in-chief of Spanish armed forces. His role also involved diplomatic tours of foreign allies to promote Spanish interests especially in the domain of politics and economy.

The Kingdom and Spain are close business allies. In fact, Madrid has been trying for quite some time now to secure a deal for five warships, whose cumulative value can be in the region of $3.3 billion. Spain is also involved in building a high-speed rail line between the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. Major Spanish companies like Talgo, OHL, Adif and RENFE formed a consortium and won this prestigious railway project back in 2011.

On the trade and investment front, Riyadh and Madrid have forged closer relations. The volume of trade between the two countries is expected to witness growth. Saudi Arabia is reportedly Spain’s third largest Arab partner and ranked 12th among the exporter countries to Spain from outside the European Union.

Trade between the two countries involves chemical and metal products, plastics, fabrics and textiles, medical and surgical supplies, and wooden products. This is in addition to a large number of Saudi and Gulf tourists including members of the Saudi royal family, who visit different tourist locations of Spain every year.