Georgian Foreign Ministry (MFA) on Wednesday said the third round of political consultations between Georgia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia took place this week.

The meeting, held online, was attended by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Aleksandre Khvtisiashvili, and the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Waleed A. Elkhereiji.

According to the MFA press office, both parties highly appraised the Georgian FM’s visit to Riyadh in January 2024, underscoring the importance of signing a memorandum of understanding between the nations.

“The discussion also highlighted the necessity of holding the first session of the Coordination Council and the timely implementation of the planned events according to the memorandum.

The meeting paid special attention to the prospects for developing trade and economic relations between the countries. Successful cooperation in multilateral formats, the significance of people-to-people contacts, the mutual exchange of business delegations, and the need for active inter-agency cooperation were emphasized. Both parties noted with satisfaction the increasing number of tourists from Saudi Arabia to Georgia, facilitated by the direct flights between the countries.

The Deputy Ministers agreed to continue working towards organizing high-level visits. In this context, they expressed hope that the upcoming visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia to Georgia would elevate the existing cooperation to a new level.

The parties also shared information about challenges and security issues in the region,” reads the statement.