The Speaker of Shura Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh arrived here last night on a several-day official visit. At Sydney airport, he was received by Saudi Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Nabil bin Mohammed Al Saleh and a number of senior Australian officials. Dr. Al Al-Sheikh said that the visit comes in the context of the Kingdom's keenness, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to strengthen its relations with Australia and develop them to serve the interests of the two countries and their friendly peoples, as well as to achieve the continuation of consultations between the heads of the parliaments of the Group of Twenty (G-20) as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Australia are two active members in the group. For his part, Ambassador Al Saleh welcomed, in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the visit to Australia by the Shura Council Speaker and his accompanying delegation. He highlighted the importance of the visit and the talks to be conducted by the Saudi and Australian sides, pointing out that they will have an important role in the promotion of friendly relations and parliamentary cooperation between the two friendly countries. The Saudi Ambassador also said that the visit comes in response to an official invitation from the Speakers of Australian Parliament Tony Smith and Senate Stephen Parry.
