Pranab Mukherjee leaves for Saudi Arabia (Lead: National-Update-Pranab Mukherjee)

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today left for Saudi Arabia on a two-day visit. Mukherjees visit is expected to focus on working out a joint mechanism to boost investments in trade, infrastructure and oil sector between the two countries.

New Delhi, Apr 19 : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today left for Saudi Arabia on a two-day visit. Mukherjee's visit is expected to focus on working out a joint mechanism to boost investments in trade, infrastructure and oil sector between the two countries.

During his visit to New Delhi in February, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal had invited Mukhrejee to continue the high-level exchanges between the two countries.

Mukherjee will hold wide ranging talks with Prince Faisal on bilateral, political, economic, commercial, consular and cultural matters.

Mukherjee's visit is also aimed at doing the groundwork for Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's visit to Saudi Arabia later this year.

During King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud's state visit to India in 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and King Abdullah had signed a "Delhi Declaration" agreement in February 2006 aimed at evolving a vision for a strategic relationship and for bilateral cooperation in various sectors.

Both countries had then agreed to work on long-term contracts in the oil sector that would ensure reliable, stable and increased supplies.

ANI