RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El-Khereiji attended the inauguration ceremony of President Luis Rodolfo Abinader, who was re-elected as leader of the Dominican Republic in May.
Representing King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, El-Khereiji took part in the ceremony on Friday in the capital Santo Domingo and conveyed the Saudi leaders’ best wishes to the president and the Dominican people.
A number of regional dignitaries, including the leaders of Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay, were also in attendance.
Abinader, a former businessman, secured a second four-year term in May, gaining 58% of the vote on a pro-business platform and a campaign against corruption. In an address to guests at the National Theater, the 57-year-old promised a path of economic growth and a set of social reforms for the North American country.
El-Khereiji also attended a reception where he met the president and other Dominican officials.
Saudi Arabia and the Dominican Republic established diplomatic ties back in 2012 and last year the island state supported the Kingdom’s winning bid to host Expo 2030 in the capital Riyadh.
