UN chief to hold talks with top Saudi officials today

As part of his Middle East tour, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Riyadh on Saturday to hold talks with top Saudi officials, including King Salman, on key regional and international issues. 
This is the first visit of UN chief Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal, to the Kingdom, since he was elected as the UN secretary-general in December last year.
“The UN secretary-general is expected to hold discussions with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, here on Sunday,” said a statement released by the local UN office. The UN chief will also hold talks with Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, before flying ahead to other countries in the region on Sunday evening.
Besides the Kingdom, “Guterres will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Qatar and Egypt,” said the statement. “In the UAE, the secretary-general will deliver remarks at the 2017 World Government Summit, and while there; he is expected to meet with the leaders from the UAE,” the statement added. 
The World Government Summit is a UAE-based international organization that serves as a global platform for dialogue. 
The three-day summit will also include heads of state, scientists, scholars, academics, as well as experts in finance and public policy, besides 4,000 delegates and 150 speakers representing 139 countries.
Referring to the travel plans of the UN chief, the statement said the 12-day-long trip will also take Guterres to Germany. The UN chief visited Turkey on Saturday, where he exchanged views with Turkish officials on regional and international issues of global concerns including Syria and Iraq. 
During his stay in Turkey, he met with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.
After completing his Middle East trip, Guterres will travel to Bonn, Germany, for G20 foreign ministers’ meeting next Thursday. In G20 meeting, the UN chief will focus on “the sustainable development goals and will also stress the need to rebuild trust in the international community in order to address peace and security challenges,” the statement said.
Following the G20 ministerial meeting, the UN chief will travel to Munich to attend the annual security conference. 
“There, Guterres will stress the need for a surge in diplomacy for peace, greater attention to conflict prevention and strong commitment to multilateralism,” it added.

Source: Arab News