PM Victor Ponta begins official visit to Saudi Arabia

AGERPRES special correspondent Doroteea Purcarea reports: Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Thursday has begun his official visit to Saudi Arabia.

Photo credit: (c) Liviu SOVA / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

The Romanian Government head was welcomed during the night of Wednesday to Thursday on the King Khaled International Airport of Riyadh by deputy crown prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman.

The visit to Saudi Arabia represents an important stage in the bilateral relations, as it is the first visit of a Romanian Prime Minister since the establishment of diplomatic relations with this country, 20 years ago.

According to the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE), the volume of trade exchanges between Romania and Saudi Arabia last year stood at about 400 million dollars.

The Romanian community of Saudi Arabia is made up of around 450 persons, mainly Romanian women married to locals or foreigners temporarily living in the Kingdom, as well as citizens conducting their activity in this country, based on some individual contracts or contracts signed through foreign companies. AGERPRES