Saudi Arabia committed to closer ties with Antigua and Barbuda

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wants to deepen its relationship with Antigua and
Barbuda.
To this end, a high-level team representing the Saudi Development Fund paid a
courtesy call on Prime Minister Gaston Browne and a delegation comprising
several members of the Cabinet.
The delegation is led by the Chairman of the Saudi Fund for Development and the
Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia (Head of the Delegation) Ahmed Al-Khateeb.
Other officials including Deputy Minister of Tourism for International Affairs
Sultan Almusallam, Deputy CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development, Faisal
Alkahtani, Portfolio Manager/Expo 2030 Team, Mahammadi Shenqiti along with
representatives from the Saudi Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, accompanied the
Chairman.
The leader of the Saudi delegation noted that since meeting with Prime Minister
Browne last year, the Saudi Fund has signed an agreement for a US$80 million
loan for the expansion of the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus
and added that they are willing to explore other opportunities to expand the
relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Antigua and Barbuda.
“Saudi Arabia is one of the G20 countries, it has the largest economy in the Middle
East and when we establish relations with friends such as Antigua and Barbuda we
bring our allies. We have the GCC countries as well as the Arab countries behind
us, as well as the Muslim countries, as Saudi Arabia is the home for more than one
billion Muslims in the world, and therefore you can count on us. We give full
commitment to this relationship,” His Excellency Al Khateeb stated.
The visit is part of a drive to lobby support for Saudi Arabia’s bid to host Expo
2030. “I want to assure you that we are open to any other construction projects as
part of our commitment to the relationship. We value your commitment and
support for Saudi Arabia hosting Expo 2030 and we promise you we can meet at
the Antigua and Barbuda Pavilion at the Expo,” he remarked.
Already, one hundred and thirty-nine countries out of the 170 have pledged support
for the Saudi bid, including most of Africa and the Caribbean, along with Central
America and countries such as the United States and Canada.