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Saudi Royals On First-Ever Trip To Armenia

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  • Saudi Royals On First-Ever Trip To Armenia

    SAUDI ROYALS ON FIRST-EVER TRIP TO ARMENIA

    Radio Liberty
    March 17 2008
    Czech Republic

    A prominent Saudi prince met President Robert Kocharian and Prime
    Minister Serzh Sarkisian in Yerevan at the weekend during a first-ever
    visit to Armenia by a member of Saudi Arabia's ruling dynasty.

    It was not immediately clear if the visit by Prince Al-Walid bin
    Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud and his wife, Princess Amira, heralded
    the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

    Saudi Arabia is among a handful of Islamic nations, including Turkey
    and Pakistan, that have lent their full support to Muslim Azerbaijan
    in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and refused to establish diplomatic
    ties with Christian Armenia. As recently last Friday, the oil-rich
    kingdom voted for a UN General Assembly resolution that referred to
    Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan and demanded an "immediate,
    complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces" from occupied
    Azerbaijani lands.

    Official sources in Yerevan said Prince Al-Walid, who controls Saudi
    Arabia's largest company, Kingdom Holding, discussed with Kocharian
    and Sarkisian the possibility of making investments in the Armenian
    economy and, in particular, its tourism and leisure sectors.

    "The Saudi Arabian prince emphasized his warm feelings towards
    the Armenian people and noted that he has many Armenian friends,"
    Kocharian's office said. According to a separate statement by the
    Armenian government's press service, the billionaire prince told
    Sarkisian that Armenia has achieved "spectacular progress" in recent
    years and is "on the right development track."

    Kocharian was quoted as stressing that Armenia has "extremely warm,
    extensive and multi-layered relationships" with many Arab states not
    least because of their affluent Armenian communities.

    Sarkisian, for his part, said he would only welcome Saudi investments
    in his country's economy. "Both sides stressed at the end of the
    meeting that economic cooperation and closer ties could also foster
    the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries,"
    his press service said.
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