President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday held talks with King Salman of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, on the sidelines of the second day of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference, during which both leaders committed themselves to deeper partnership for the development of their countries.
Buhari and King Salman reviewed aspects of cooperation between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia and agreed to advance cooperation in the areas of oil and gas, given the similarities of both countries as big producers of the commodity.
In this regard, King Salman assured Buhari of the willingness of Saudi Arabia to invest in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, thereby strengthening the strategic partnership between the Saudi Energy company, Aramco, and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Both leaders also discussed the current regional and global security situation, and President Buhari expressed his desire for a quick and peaceful resolution on contentious issues in the region, according to a statement signed by Garba Shehu, Buhari’s media aide .
“Noting the cordial relations between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, the two leaders committed to vigorously enhance and develop relations in several areas – from trade, people-to-people partnership, technology, education and agriculture, for the mutual prosperity of citizens of both countries,” the statement said.