Shoura chief praises strong Saudi-UK ties

In the wake of the recent visit made by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, who is also the second deputy premier and minister of interior, to the United Kingdom, the Shoura Council held talks with the British Embassy in Riyadh to further discuss issues of mutual importance.
The talks were held between Shoura Council President Dr. Abdullah Al-Asheikh and the new British Ambassador Simon Paul Collis at the Shoura headquarters in Riyadh on Sunday.
At the beginning of the talks, the Shoura president congratulated Collis on his new assignment to the Kingdom as UK’s ambassador. Al-Asheikh expressed his hope that bilateral relations between the countries would reach new heights under the ambassadorship of Collis in Saudi Arabia. He further said that the two countries enjoy a long and sturdy relationship across multiple sectors of shared interests.
“We would also like to strengthen our parliamentary relationship with the House of Lords and the House of Commons in order to benefit from each other’s experience,” Al-Asheikh said. Both parties also agreed that the recent visit to Britain by Deputy Crown Prince Naif has further increased their bilateral relations in several areas.
During his brief visit to London, the deputy crown prince also met with UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon and a number of British officials. Prince Charles, heir to the British throne and Prince of Wales, hosted a dinner in honor of visiting Deputy Crown Prince Naif at his official residence in London on Thursday as part of his official visit.