Riyadh, May 20th - The Minister of Tourism of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mr. Ahmed Aqeel Al-Khateeb, successfully concluded his official visit to Cuba, after fulfilling a brief but intense work agenda, during which he was attended by high-ranking Cuban authorities.
Immediately upon arrival in Havana, Mr. Al-Khateeb was received at the Palace of the Revolution by the President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermudez. On that occasion, the president expressed that the relations between the Island and the Kingdom have been forged historically and have been characterized, above all, by the coincidence of ideas and mutual respect, as well as friendship and solidarity.
On his part, the minister conveyed to the president the greetings of the King and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, as well as the Kingdom's commitment to support Cuba at all times. He stated that the historical relations between the two countries have shown that they maintain full coordination in all fields. Likewise, he thanked Cuba for having been one of the first nations to support the Kingdom to host the 2030 World Expo, with 138 countries having already ratified their attendance.
When evaluating the meeting on social networks, President Díaz-Canel pointed out that during it the willingness to continue working to strengthen bilateral relations was confirmed, particularly economic, commercial and cooperation ties in areas of common interest.
Afterward, Mr. Al-Khateeb, who also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), held a working session with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz.
Here both parties agreed in describing the current level of bilateral relations as satisfactory and reaffirmed the will to systematize the work to strengthen it. Likewise, they emphasized the need to expand economic, commercial and cooperation ties in identified areas of common interest.
Cabrisas thanked Saudi Arabia for its continued support for the Cuban draft resolution against the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the US for more than six decades. For his part, Al-Khateeb ratified his country's support for the claim of the largest of the Antilles to put an end to this criminal policy, which is rejected by the majority of the international community.
During the meeting, the work of Cuban health professionals who, since February 2014, have been providing their services in the Kingdom with very positive results, recognized by the authorities and the Saudi population, was also praised.
As a culmination of this meeting, the granting of credits by the SFD to finance two hydraulic rehabilitation projects in Havana and Jatibonico, in its second phase, was signed. (EmbaCuba Arabia Saudita)