@ Alhaji M.B. Jalloh, Press Secretary, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States and SPA Reporter
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on Sunday, 7th May, 2017 held official talks with his Sierra Leonean counterpart at the Al-Salam Palace in Saudi Arabia’s commercial and cosmopolitan city of Jeddah.
His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz and His Excellency, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma discussed issues on bilateral relations and means of cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Sierra Leone in different fields.
During the meeting, President Koroma honoured the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques with the Medal of Honour in recognition of King Salman’s efforts in promoting world peace and defending Islam.
The session was attended by the Minister of Foreign and International Cooperation, Dr. Samura W. Kamara, Finance and Economic Development Minister, Mr. Momodu Kargbo, Mines and Mineral Resources Minister, Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray, Information and Communications Minister, Mr. Mohamed Bangura, Education, Science and Technology Minister, Dr. Minkailu Bah, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Alhaji M.S. Kargbo, State Chief of Protocol, Ambassador Rassie Kargbo (Mrs.) Personal Assistant to the President, Mr. Brian Gilpin.
On the Saudi side, it was attended by Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of Makkah Region, Prince Khalid al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State, Prince Mansour bin Miteb bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet, Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz al-Assaf, Minister of Culture and Information, Awad bin Saleh al-Awad, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Nizar bin Obaid Madani and Saudi Ambassador to Guinea and Sierra Leone, Suleiman bin Saleh al-Furaih.
Earlier, an official reception ceremony was held for President Koroma, the national anthems of the two countries were played, and President Koroma reviewed the Guard of Honor. King Salman also held a luncheon banquet in honor of his Sierra Leonenan counterpart and his accompanying delegation. The reception and the banquet were attended by a number of princes and other dignitaries.
His Excellency also held marginal meetings with the Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of Makkah Region, Prince Khalid al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz, the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nizar bin Obaid Madani and the Minister of Culture and Information, Awad bin Saleh al-Awad.
On Monday, 8th May, 2017, the President also met with theDeputy Premier and Minister of Interior, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, the President of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB Group) His Excellency Dr. Bandar bin Mohammed bin Hamza Asaad Al Hajjar, the Director-General for the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), among others.
During the meetings, they discussed bilateral and multilateral coperation and ways to promote them, in addition to issues of mutual interest.
President Koroma who is in the Kingdom on the kind invitation of the Saudi Monarch landed with his high – powered delegation at the Royal Terminal of the King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah in the early hours of Sunday.
The President is also scheduled to meet with the Turkish President, H.E Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara after the completion of his Saudi visit.
