JEDDAH: King Salman received South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Thursday. The president arrived in the Kingdom on Wednesday evening for an official visit focused primarily on strengthening economic ties, increasing investment and diversifying trade relations.
The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and cooperation between Saudi Arabia and South Africa in all fields and reviewed the latest regional and international developments. The talks were attended by a number of princes and senior officials, as well as the president’s official delegation.
The king also hosted a luncheon in honor of the president and his delegation.
Later, Ramaphosa met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and they discussed issues of common interest in addition to means of enhancing bilateral relations in various fields.
Ramaphosa had met with senior Saudi officials earlier in the day, including the ministers of trade and investment; energy; industry and mineral resources; and finance.
Saudi Trade and Investment Minister Dr. Majid Al-Qassabi said the two sides discussed cooperation in the economic, commercial and industrial fields, adding that Ramaphosa “expressed his country’s desire to invest in the pharmaceutical, health and mining industries through joint investments.”
The trade minister added, “We also discussed the establishment of a Saudi-South African business council to further increase the volume of trade between the two friendly countries.”
Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan said the Kingdom and South Africa share historic and outstanding relations. “South Africa is a member of the G-20, and of many regional and international organizations, hence the importance of coordinating economic relations between the two countries,” he said.
Ramaphosa will visit the UAE on Friday.
