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Merkel to Visit Saudi Arabia on Sunday | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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German chancellor Angela Merkel smiles behind German flags at the party headquarters in Berlin, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013. (Michael Sohn/AP)


Riyadh – German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Saudi Arabia on Sunday for two days, heading a delegation of high-ranking officials.

German Ambassador to the Kingdom Dieter W. Haller said Merkel would discuss with the Saudi leadership issues of mutual interests.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the ambassador added that the German chancellor’s visit would also bolster bilateral ties between Riyadh and Berlin, as the two capitals “play a major role in promoting security and stability in the region, and they are active members in the G20, which is currently presided by Germany.”

A statement issued by the German Embassy to the Kingdom said Merkel would meet with the Saudi leadership, and discussions would touch on bilateral relations and means to promote cooperation between the two countries.

The statement added that the Chancellor would also discuss with Saudi officials regional and international developments, and the upcoming meeting of the G20, which will be hosted by Germany on July 7-8 in Hamburg.

The embassy also said that Merkel would hold talks with a number of Saudi businesswomen and activists in various fields to familiarize with social and economic developments in the Kingdom.

Merkel will be accompanied by a high-ranking economic delegation, which will include the state secretary in the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy and executive presidents of major German companies, which are interested in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and National Transformation Program.

Several memoranda of understanding would be signed on the sidelines of the visit, according to the statement.

According to the German Federal Foreign Office website, the friendship treaty between the German Reich and the Kingdom of Hejaz, Najd and the affiliated territories formalized bilateral relations between Germany and Saudi Arabia as early as 1929.

Germany has maintained diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since 1954, it added.

Relations between the two countries are fostered by regular high-level visits in both directions.