The president of the Republic of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian, arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday (26 October) as part of a working visit which saw him attend the 5th conference of the “Future Investment Initiative” in Riyadh.
This is the first time that an Armenian official has visited Saudi Arabia since Armenia’s independence, and the two countries currently have no diplomatic relations. The website of the president of Armenia described the moment as a “historic step, visiting for the first time a country with a unique role and significance in the Arab and Islamic world”.
At the investment conference, Sarkissian and the Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman reportedly discussed the need to develop relations between the two nations, and noted that the “rich historical ties between the two peoples are a good basis for building future interstate relations”.
Also in attendance for the conference were other heads of state, government members, and CEOs of global companies.