Jeddah — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held wide-ranging talks here on Sunday. The talks focused on bilateral relations, fields of cooperation between the two countries and further possibilities of collaboration, as well as regional and international developments. King Salman and Chancellor Merkel oversaw the signing of a number cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding. A memorandum of understanding was signed on the development of sustainable industries through the localization of technologies and accelerating the pace of industrial transformation in Saudi Arabia in line with Vision 2030. A cooperation agreement was signed between the Saudi Ministry of Interior and the German Federal Police. Another cooperation pact was signed between the Saudi Fund for Development and the German Federal Ministry of Cooperation, Economy and Development. An executive cooperation program was signed in the field of technical and vocational training. A draft agreement was signed for the training of students in German military installations between the Ministry of Defense in the Kingdom and the Ministry of Defense of the Federal Republic of Germany. A memorandum of understanding was signed on the support for Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program 2020 in relation to its digital strategy and related technological solutions. The German Chancellor is accompanied by a high-level economic delegation headed by Secretary of State at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. It includes CEOs of the largest German companies interested in the economic changes taking place in the Kingdom under Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Plan 2020. Merkel's one-day visit is to be followed by talks on Monday in United Arab Emirates with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Tuesday. Her series of meetings form part of the buildup to the G20 meeting of the leaders of major and emerging economies. Both Russia and Saudi Arabia are G20 member states. Berlin currently holds the G20 presidency.
