Business & Money | Tuesday 8 November, 2016 5:06 am |

A Shoura Council delegation, headed by Speaker Abdullah Al-Asheikh, held talks with his Maltese counterpart Anglu Farrugia in Malta on Monday. 
Malta’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Martin Valentino told Arab News that the Shoura delegation's visit to Malta is expected to strengthen Maltese-Saudi relations among parliamentarians.
“The visit also aims to bring Saudi Arabia and Malta closer as far as political and economic matters are concerned,” the Maltese ambassador said. He said the parliamentarians discussed bilateral and regional issues with a view to strengthen and improve ties between the two countries.
The Shoura members also had a meeting with Malta’s acting President Dolores Cristina.
The Saudi delegation comprises four other Shoura Council members including Saad Mohammed Al-Hareky and Hamdah Khalaf Al-Anazi.
The members of the delegation were also to meet with Minister for Foreign Affairs George Vella and the Malta-Saudi Arabia Joint Parliamentary Friendship Group.
Valentino added that the Shoura Council’s delegation is in Malta to reciprocate the visit to Saudi Arabia of Maltese Speaker of the House of Representatives Anglu Farrugia in November 2014. 
Farrugia led a parliamentary delegation which held talks with Al-Asheikh and the Saudi-Maltese Parliamentary Friendship Group besides other high-ranking officials.
A Saudi Shoura delegation visited Malta for the first time in November 2007. “The Maltese Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs also visited the Kingdom in February 2007,” Valentino said.