The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Organization (COMESA) received on Friday at its headquarters in the Zambia capital Advisor at the Saudi Royal Court Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Qattan, currently on a visit to the country. During the meeting, Qattan reviewed the Saudi-African relations and ways to develop and strengthen them in various fields. He stressed the keenness of Saudi leadership to enhance its relations with all African countries and in various fields that serve common interests. Qattan pointed to the two summits that the Kingdom will host this year — the Saudi-African Summit and the 5th Arab-African Summit to be held in Riyadh. He said the Saudi-African Summit, which will be held for the first time, confirms the Saudi government's keenness to strengthen the partnership with all countries of the African continent. Qattan went on to say that the Kingdom is looking forward to hosting the Expo 2030 in the city of Riyadh, lauding the declared support the Kingdom has received from African countries. For his part, COMESA's Assistant Secretary-General in charge of Finance and Administration, Dave Haman expressed COMESA's welcome to Qattan's visit and his accompanying delegation, Dave Haman also welcomed holding of the two aforementioned summits, praising the Kingdom's tireless efforts in strengthening its relations with all African countries. Haman announced COMESA's full support for the Kingdom's hosting of Expo 2030 in Riyadh, stressing that the Kingdom has great capabilities that enable it to hold a historical and successful addition with the highest levels of innovation. At the conclusion of the meeting, Qattan made a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) in which he said such a statement by this important organization to support Saudi Arabia's hosting of the Expo 2030 in Riyadh confirms that this support comes from the depth of relations between the Kingdom and the countries of the organization. The statement reflects the group's confidence that the Kingdom has great capabilities that enable it to hold a successful edition of the Expo. He pointed out that the holding of the two summits in Riyadh reflects the keenness of Saudi leadership to consolidate its relations with all African countries in various fields, especially in the areas of development and investment for the benefit of all. — SPA
