Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdallah bin Farhan arrived in Athens on Wednesday on an official visit to boost cultural cooperation.
Prince Badr met with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou at the presidential palace in the capital, at the start of his two-day visit, which will also see meetings with high-ranking Greek officials to discuss aspects of cultural cooperation between the two countries.
According to a press statement published by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Saudi minister conveyed the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the president, emphasizing the distinguished historical relations between Saudi Arabia and Greece since 1926.
He also stressed the Saudi ministry’s keenness to cooperate with its counterpart in the Greek Republic to work on an intensive cultural program over the next two years, through which it will focus on creating quality opportunities.
On his Twitter account, Prince Badr wrote in Greek a statement saying he was happy to meet with Sakellaropoulou at the presidential palace.
Following talks with his Greek counterpart, the Saudi minister said: “Today, I met with the Minister of Culture, Dr. Lina Mendoni, to discuss aspects of joint cultural cooperation between the two countries and create quality opportunities to achieve the desired effect.”
The visit aims to lay the foundation for a new phase of cultural cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Greece. It will feature meetings with Greek officials, as well as a number of tours and visits to famous cultural and heritage landmarks in the country, such as the Acropolis Museum and the National Gallery.
