Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 10 2005
President in Saudi Arabia
Baku, March 9, AssA-Irada
The meeting of President Ilham Aliyev, who arrived in Saudi Arabia on
Tuesday, and this country’s Foreign Minister Amir Saud al-Faisal was
due to the latter’s poor health condition.
On Wednesday, President Aliyev gave interviews to the “Ar-Riyadh”
newspaper and the Saudi state television. He also met with chairman
of the Saudi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ishan al-Yamani and
Saudi business people to discuss economic, industrial and trade
relations between the two countries.
President Aliyev expressed his satisfaction with the position of
Saudi Arabia on the Upper Garabagh conflict, emphasizing that Riyadh
refused to establish any relations with Armenia, including diplomatic
ties.
Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia signed agreements on allocation of a $18
million loan to finance the Valvalachay-Tahtakorpu canal construction
project and on mutual protection and encouragement of investments.
Afterwards, Aliyev left Riyadh for Jeddah, west Saudi Arabia, to
visit the holy city of Mecca.
On Thursday, President Aliyev is scheduled to meet with Secretary
General of the Islamic Conference Organization Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu
and the Islamic Development Bank President Ahmed Mohamed Ali.
Aliyev will also visit Medina to pay tribute to Prophet Muhammad. He
will wrap up his official visit to Saudi Arabia late on the same day.
President Aliyev met with Saudi King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud and
Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud on Tuesday. Aliyev presented
the Saudi King and Prince with Azerbaijan’s highest award, the
Istiglal (“Independence) Order. The Saudi King, in turn, presented to
the Azerbaijani President his country’s highest award, the Order of
King Abdulaziz.
The parties exchanged views on developing relations between the two
countries. President Aliyev’s private meeting with the Saudi King and
Prince was followed by an open meeting attended by delegations of the
two countries.*