RIYADH — Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received Tuesday in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, the Kingdom’s Speaker of the Shoura Council Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Ibrahim Al-Sheikh, and the accompanying delegation, as part of his official visit to Kazakhstan, in the presence of the Chair of Kazakhstan's Senate Maulen Ashimbayev.

The Kazakh president, during the meeting, stressed the deep-rooted relations of his country with Saudi Arabia, noting that these ties will witness a bright future under the keenness and interest of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy prime minister and minister of defense.

The president stressed that Saudi Arabia is a close partner of Kazakhstan at all levels, and mainly in the Islamic world, pointing out the status and importance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and praising its achievements in fighting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The president also awarded the Shoura Speaker with the Kazakh Order of Friendship, which the president grants to figures who closely contributed to supporting and enhancing relations with Kazakhstan.

Sheikh Dr. Al-Sheikh commended the progress and development in bilateral ties between the two countries, which were further enhanced by the keenness and interest of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Crown Prince to boost them in a way that serves joint interests and realizes more welfare, progress and prosperity for the two peoples.

During the meeting, the Speaker pointed out the important parliamentary talks conducted by the Shoura Council in Saudi Arabia and the two chambers of the Kazakh Parliament for their role in developing bilateral ties, stressing the keenness of the Shoura Council and the Kazakh Senate to prepare effective practical steps to enhance commonalities between the two brotherly countries and activate the role of the joint parliamentary friendship committees in a way that serves the two brotherly countries. — SPA