A Majlis Ash Shura parliamentary delegation from Saudi Arabia yesterday met with opposition leader Alfred Sant at the MLP’s headquarters in Hamrun.

The Majlis Ash Shura is the official Arabic name of the consultative assembly of Saudi Arabia, the closest thing Saudi Arabia has to a legislature. The Saudi delegation welcomed in a positive way the proposal the Labour Party is making to promote Malta as a centre for Islamic Finance in the Mediterranean and the proposal that a Gulf Mediterranean Business Forum is set up. The chairman of the delegation, Dr Sadakah Yahia Fadil augured the Labour Party well at the upcoming general elections, and affirmed that it was in the interest of the delegation that relations between both countries continued to strengthen.

“A new Labour government will continue to strengthen relations with Saudi Arabia with the goal of creating new business and work opportunities between the two countries,” Dr Sant told the Saudi delegation. “The Labour Party always gave priority to relations between Malta and the Arab world and shall continue to do so even after the next general election when it is back in government.”

Dr. Sant said it was in fact the Labour government in the 70s that established relations with Saudi Arabia with a view to creating more work and business opportunities.

Labour MPs Leo Brincat, Joe Sammut, and Roderick Galdes, as well as the Maltese Ambassador for Saudi Arabia, Godwin Montanaro, also attended the meeting.