Hashim Abdullah Yamani with Djibouti Minister Ali Yacoub and Ambassador Ziauddin Bamakhram in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia and Djibouti held wide ranging talks that discussed bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, including strategic plans devised to utilize alternative energy in the two countries.

Ali Yacoub Mahamoud, Djibouti’s minister of energy and water, who was in the capital to enhance bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, met Hashim Abdullah Yamani, president of the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE), at its headquarters.

Ziauddin Said Bamakhrama, ambassador of Djibouti in Riyadh, accompanied the minister during the meeting.

The meeting reviewed issues of mutual interest, K.A.CARE’s activities and strategic plans devised to provide and utilize alternative energy in the two countries,” said the K.A.CARE media department.

The two leaders also discussed mutual cooperation in the sphere of alternative energy and utilization thereof in the production of electricity, water desalination and the development of atomic power applications in such fields as agriculture and medicine, it added.

The K.A.CARE is working closely with the ministry of transportation, Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), Saudi Wildlife Authority (SWA) and the Directorate General of Military Survey to speed up work on atlas of atomic and renewable energy to achieve vision 2032, which aims to replace 50 percent of the dependence on traditional fossil fuel with eco-friendly renewed energy sources.

To this end, the Kingdom has also signed atomic cooperation agreements with France, South Korea, China, Argentina, Russia and Finland.

Earlier, the visiting minister also met Ali Al-Naimi, minister of petroleum and mineral resources, at his office and discussed various ways and means to enhance bilateral cooperation in the oil, mining and energy sector.

They also discussed the idea to raise the efficiency of energy consumption as well as the successes achieved by the Kingdom in this field.

Saudi Arabia shares a very cordial relationship with Djibouti and the two countries recently reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways to further enhance them in various fields when Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman met Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh in Riyadh in October 2015.

President Guelleh also decorated King Salman with the Medal of Djibouti Grand Star, the highest medal in the Horn of African nation, in recognition of the king’s efforts in resolving issues of Islamic and other Arab nations.

Notably, Djibouti cut its diplomatic relations with Iran on Wednesday in solidarity with Saudi Arabia snapping ties with Iran after its meddling in the internal affairs.

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