Eduardo González
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, carried out yesterday in Riyadh the second stage of his tour of the Persian Gulf, in which he addressed with the Saudi authorities the conflict in the Middle East and the reinforcement of bilateral relations, with special attention to the economic ones.
Albares was received by his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, with whom he spoke about “the terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza and the importance of joining forces to take a definitive step in the two-state solution,” as reported by the minister through the social network X.
Faisal bin Farhan chairs the Contact Group of the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and, in this capacity, he participated in the Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean on November 27 in Barcelona. According to Foreign Ministry this past Monday, one of Albares’ main objectives in Riyadh was to address “the next steps to be taken within the Euro-Arab consultation to advance the effective establishment of the Palestinian State, within the framework of the two-state solution.” which Spain advocates.”
Both ministers also discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations. Precisely, as reported by the Saudi Foreign Ministry, Albares delivered to his Saudi counterpart a written message from King Felipe VI (as he did the day before in Qatar) addressed to Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, crown prince and prime minister, on “the distinguished relations between the two friendly countries and ways to improve coordination and consultation in various fields.”
Subsequently, Albares was received by the Saudi Minister of Economy and Planning, Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim, with whom he spoke about bilateral relations and the status of the Saudi-Spanish Joint Commission, as reported by the Saudi Ministry itself in a press release.
The presence of José Manuel Albares in Riyadh included a meeting with representatives of Spanish companies active in the country and another meeting with representatives of Saudi civil society, with whom he spoke “about the transformation of the country and how to continue strengthening cultural and “economic” between Spain and Saudi Arabia, the minister declared through X. According to Foreign Ministry, Saudi Arabia is experiencing an accelerated modernization process within the framework of Vision 2030, “which will culminate in the Riyadh Universal Exhibition that year.”
Albares began the tour in the Gulf this past Tuesday in Qatar, where he was received by the Emir of the State of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Zani and by the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Abdelrahman Al Zani. Today he will conclude his tour in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, where he will hold a meeting with his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, and will develop an economic agenda that will include a visit to the state renewable energy company Masdar.
