This article was first published 20 years ago

Sonia meets Saudi king

google preferred source

United Progressive Alliance chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi called on the visiting King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud on Friday and exchanged views on mutual interests between the two countries as also regional and internation issues.

Minister of state for External Affairs E Ahamed and chairman of All India Congress Committee's foreign affairs department Karan Singh were also present during the meeting, which lasted more than 30 minutes.

King Abdullah, who is on a three-day visit to India, was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations, marking a new beginning in the bilateral relations between the two countries. His visit was the first by a Saudi ruler in 51 years.

King Saud bin AbdulAziz had visited India in 1955. In 1956, the then-prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had visited Saudi Arabia and, in 1982, late prime minister Indira Gandhi had also travelled there.

Complete coverage: The Saudi king in India