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Sonia meets Saudi king

January 27, 2006 23:56 IST

United Progressive Alliance chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi called on the visiting King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud on Friday and exchanged views on mutual interests between the two countries as also regional and internation issues.

Minister of state for External Affairs E Ahamed and chairman of All India Congress Committee's foreign affairs department Karan Singh were also present during the meeting, which lasted more than 30 minutes.

King Abdullah, who is on a three-day visit to India, was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations, marking a new beginning in the bilateral relations between the two countries. His visit was the first by a Saudi ruler in 51 years.

King Saud bin AbdulAziz had visited India in 1955. In 1956, the then-prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had visited Saudi Arabia and, in 1982, late prime minister Indira Gandhi had also travelled there.

Complete coverage: The Saudi king in India

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