Africa-Press – Eritrea. President Isaias Afwerki returned home in the afternoon hours today, concluding a fruitful working visit to Saudi Arabia from 9 to 13 December, undertaken on the invitation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
Earlier in the day, President Isaias and his delegation met with the President (CEO) of the Saudi Ports Authority, Engineer Suliman bin Khalid Al-Mazroua, as well as the Executive Manager and Chief Administrator of Jeddah Port.
The hosts made a detailed presentation to the President and his delegation on the operational doctrine, scope of operations, technology and human capital deployed, as well as safety and service quality standards. They expressed the readiness of the Saudi Ports Authority to foster cooperation with Eritrea. They also stated that they attach strong importance to President Isaias Afwerki’s visit to their facilities.
President Isaias Afwerki underlined the importance of cultivating cooperation and synergy among the various ports in the Red Sea, focused on rendering services to the global market. He stressed that the framework must be based on complementarity rather than narrow competition, and include investments in infrastructure, transfer of knowledge, as well as the emulation of best practices. President Isaias further emphasized that a tangible and broad roadmap of cooperation in this sector should be developed through continuous contacts and consultations.
President Isaias and his delegation also met with community and national association leaders in Jeddah and its environs. Topics discussed included domestic developments against the backdrop of global and regional challenges, current development policies and strategies of the Eritrean Government, prospects and potential of bilateral partnership with Saudi Arabia, and the role and importance of strengthening Eritrean communities worldwide.
The participants expressed their conviction to strengthen organizational capacity and enhance participation in national affairs.
