Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman arrived in Tunisia on Thursday on an official visit to the north African nation. Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi received the King at the presidential airport in Tunis. Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and other high-ranking Tunisian officials were also among those who received the King.
The royal visit was in response to an invitation from President Essebsi. King Salman is leading Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the 30thsession of the Arab League Summit, to be held in Tunisia on March 31.
President Essebsi said on Thursday the King’s visit confirms that bilateral ties between the two countries are at the highest level. The King will hold wide-ranging talks with Essebsi. Their talks will figure means of further enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries in all fields. They will also discuss regional and international issues of mutual concern.
There is an air of festivity in the Tunisian capital on the occasion of the visit of King Salman. The streets, roads and squares of Tunis, its buildings and institutions were adorned with the images of the Monarch, while the flags of the Kingdom flutter alongside the Tunisian flag. There are also sign boards erected along the streets welcoming the King.
Meanwhile, King Salman deputed Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, to administer the State’s affairs and take care of the people’s interests during the period of his travel outside the Kingdom, according to a Royal Court statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
The Monarch was seen off at King Salman Air Base Airport by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, Prince Faisal Bin Bandar, emir of Riyadh, Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulrahman, deputy emir of Riyadh, as well as a number of princes, ministers and senior officials.
The official delegation accompanying the King included Minister of Interior Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Saud Bin Naif; Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet Dr. Musaed Bin Muhammed Al-Aiban; Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Al-Assaf; Minister of Commerce and Investment Majed Al-Qasabi; and Minister of Media Turki Al-Shabanah, as well as a number of princes and senior officials.
