King Salman, Merkel discuss war on terror, G-20 Summit in Jeddah talks

RIYADH: A range of bilateral and regional issues, with a particular focus on Syria, Iran and Yemen, were discussed by King Salman and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Sunday. They also witnessed the signing of six major agreements.

The two leaders “reaffirmed the need for peaceful and political solutions to regional conflicts, including Syria and Yemen,” Michael Ohnmacht, deputy chief of the German mission, said on Sunday.

The summit-level talks also focused on the war on terror, and the G20 Summit to be held in the German city of Hamburg in July.

“The Kingdom is an important partner in the fight against terrorism and terror organizations like Daesh,” said Ohnmacht, adding that the two leaders also discussed the role of the UN in ending conflicts.

King Salman hosted a lunch banquet in honor of Merkel, who also met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, deputy premier and interior minister, in Jeddah on Sunday.

Detailing the signed agreements, Ohnmacht said: “A declaration of intent for police cooperation, especially in the fields of air security and transport operations, was signed by the Saudi Interior Ministry and German Federal Police.”

He said an agreement between the Saudi Defense Ministry and German Military Academy was signed to train Saudi personnel in different areas.

“Saudi policewomen will be trained by German police within the framework of the bilateral agreement,” said Ohnmacht.

He said that about 20 Saudi women have already joined the police training program in Jeddah, currently being conducted by women police trainers from Germany.

Saudi women police personnel will not be sent to Germany for training, he said.

“They will be undergoing training in the Kingdom itself,” confirmed Ohnmacht.

“The third agreement, which is a letter of intent, was signed by the Riyadh-based Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and German Economy Ministry for cooperation on projects in third countries like Mali and Niger,” added Ohnmacht.

Three agreements were endorsed by private sector companies.

Saudi Arabia wants German companies, especially engineering giant Siemens and business software company SAP, to play an important role in furthering its digital transformation and economic diversification within the framework of Vision 2030.

In this context, Siemens signed a letter of intent with the National Industrial Cluster Development Program (NICDP).

Ohnmacht said Siemens signed another agreement with the stateowned Technical and Vocational Training Corp. (TVTC).

The third letter of intent was signed by the Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and SAP to cooperate and collaborate in the field of information technology.

Ohnmacht said Merkel also met with Saudi businesswomen.

She is due to travel to the UAE on Monday.