A senior Eritrean delegation held talks with Saudi officials in Riyadh on Tuesday, continuing a series of meetings focused on expanding bilateral cooperation, with trade, investment and energy emerging as key areas of discussion.
The delegation includes Hagos Gebrehiwet, Head of Economic Affairs of the People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), and Nesredin Mohammed Saleh, Eritrea’s Minister of Trade and Industry.
They met Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh, where the two sides reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways of strengthening cooperation in various fields.
Saudi outlet Ajel, also reported the discussions covered the development of bilateral cooperation and issues of mutual interest. Eritrea’s chargé d’affaires in Saudi Arabia, Weini Gerezghier, attended the talks.
The diplomatic meeting followed discussions a day earlier with senior officials from Saudi Arabia’s energy sector and Saudi Aramco, according to Eritrean Information Minister Yemane G. Meskel.
The Eritrean delegation discussed what officials described as concrete areas of possible cooperation with Saudi energy authorities and the state oil company.
The meetings point to an increasingly economic focus in Eritrea-Saudi relations, moving beyond regular diplomatic consultations toward discussions involving trade, industry and energy institutions.
The latest contacts also follow Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Al-Khuraiji’s official visit to Asmara earlier this year. In February, he met President Isaias Afwerki and Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry saying the discussions covered the development of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues.
Economic cooperation has featured prominently in previous high-level contacts between the two countries. During the Saudi-Africa Summit in Riyadh in November 2023, President Isaias held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on cooperation in investment, trade and other sectors. Hagos Gebrehiwet and Nesredin Mohammed Saleh were also part of the Eritrean delegation at the summit.
Tuesday’s meeting therefore forms part of a broader pattern of engagement between Asmara and Riyadh, but the inclusion of Saudi energy officials and Aramco in the current round gives the visit a more specific commercial dimension.
Neither side has so far announced a formal agreement arising from the talks. Further details are expected if discussions advance into specific projects or investment arrangements.
