Saudi Crown Prince meets Venezuelan president, discusses bilateral ties

Bin Salman met with Maduro at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The Crown Prince welcomed Maduro and his accompanying delegation on his visit to the Kingdom with the Venezuelan leader expressing his happiness to be in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

“During the meeting, both sides reviewed the bilateral relations, prospects for cooperation and opportunities to enhance them in various fields,” SPA said. The report added that both leaders exchanged views on various issues of common interest.

Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz; Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz; Minister of the National Guard Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz; Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal bin Fadel Al-Ibrahim, were among the Saudi delegation welcoming Maduro.

Maduro arrived in Jeddah on Sunday, and his trip precedes a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday until June 8, State Department Spokesman Matt Miller said last week.

During his trip, Blinken is expected to meet with Saudi officials and discuss the relations and strategic cooperation between both countries in addition to a range of global, economic and security matters, Miller added.