Venezuelan Ambassador, Joseba Achutegui

:: Bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Venezuela are set to take a leap forward with the holding of a Joint Committee Meeting in Riyadh at the end of this year, according to Joseba Achutegui, the Venezuelan ambassador to the Kingdom.

The envoy was speaking to Arab News on Wednesday, on the 206th anniversary of his country’s independence.

Achutegui said that the first Joint Committee Meeting was held in Caracas, followed by a technical committee meeting, which are expected to result in the draft of joint cooperation agreements in areas such as education, health and trade.

Achutegui said that his country’s President Nicolas Maduro had visited the Kingdom four times since 2015. He said that Saudi-Venezuela relations date back to 1952.

The ambassador added that the president had previously discussed with King Salman means to promote relations, areas of bilateral cooperation, and the latest developments including cooperation for the stability of the oil market.

Achutegui said that Saudi Arabia is not only a partner OPEC state, but also a close friend to his country, as evident given the frequent exchange of high-level visits between the two countries.

Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves, followed by the Kingdom.