NOUAKCHOTT: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a meeting on Sunday with the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, during an official visit to the country.
The crown prince expressed his pleasure to visit the Mauritanian Republic and conveyed greetings from King Salman.
The crown prince landed in Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott on Sunday as part of his tour of the Arab world.
He expressed his “great satisfaction at the depth of the fraternal relations between the two brotherly peoples and reiterated their commitment to work hard to develop and strengthen them in order to achieve common bilateral interests.”
The two sides affirmed their firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost of which is the establishment of an independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab peace initiative and relevant international resolutions.
On Yemen, the two sides affirmed their support for efforts to reach a political solution to the Yemeni crisis in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2216, the Gulf Initiative and its executive mechanism and the outcomes of the comprehensive Yemeni national dialogue.
Meanwhile, the Mauritanian president conveyed his greetings and appreciation to King Salman and renewed his country’s condemnation of any threat and attack on the Kingdom’s security. He also paid tribute to Saudi Arabia’s efforts preserving the region’s security and stability and its international maritime navigation.
The two sides also discussed the situation in Syria and Libya.
Both countries affirmed their support for the efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis and their keenness to preserve the unity and integrity of the Syrian and Libyan territories. They pledged to strengthen all that would guarantee both countries’ security and renewed adherence to stand firm against all policies aimed at undermining security and stability and stirring up religious and sectarian strife.
The plenary session was held in the presence of both countries’ delegations, where they reviewed bilateral relations, opportunities for cooperation, and regional developments.
Then, Saudi Minister of Information, Dr. Awad Al-Awad, announced a new initiative to establish the King Salman Hospital, a 300-bed hospital in Nouakchott, under the directivces of the Saudi leadership..
The hospital includes emergency departments, ambulances, outpatient clinics, surgeries, oncology center, cardiology center, dialysis department, obstetrics and gynecology department, pediatric department, laparoscopy department, laboratory section, intensive care department, diagnostic radiology department, central pharmacy, central sterilization and hypnosis suites.
King Salman also issued a directive to renovate King Faisal Mosque.
During the meeting the crown prince oversaw the signing of three Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation between both countries.
The first agreement concerned the avoidance of double taxation, the second was a MoU for cooperation in the field of water and sanitation, while the third MoU was related to wildlife protection.
The agreements were signed by the Minister of Trade and Investment Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi, on behalf of the Saudi side, and the Minister of Economy and Finance Al-Mukhtar Ajay, Minister of Water and Sanitation, Eslam Ould Sidi El-Mokhtar and Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Amdi Kamra, on behalf of the Mauritanian side, respectively.
“The visit comes within the framework of the brotherly ties between the two countries and the historical ties between their two brotherly peoples, which was reflected their joint determination to deepen and strengthen cooperation in all fields,” said a joint statement issued by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir and his Mauritanian counterpart, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
On behlaf of King Salman, the crown prince extended an invitation to Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to visit the Kingdom. The republic accepted the invite and the date of the visit will be announced soon.
The crown prince’s visit to the north African country comes after he headed Saudi Arabia’s delegation at the G20 Summit in Argentina.
Mohammed bin Salman’s tour has included stops in the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Tunisia before the summit in Buenos Aires.