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.