Yousef Albalawi, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Nigeria, says the Saudi airlines will restart flight operations from Jeddah to Abuja in June or by January 2027.

Mr Albalawi disclosed this on Wednesday when he paid a courtesy visit to the minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, in Abuja.

He said that the visit was to strengthen the existing relationship between Saudi Arabia and Nigeria and to enhance opportunities to work together in many fields, especially on economic, political and security issues.

“Also, we will continue to serve all Nigerian people who want to go Umrah and Hajj,” he said.

The envoy said that he would work with the ministry and the media to correct all the misinformation about Saudi Arabia so as to give the right image of his country.

“Actually, we share same value and we also have historical relationship with Nigeria,” Mr Albalawi said.

Responding, Mr Idris said that the visit underscored the importance that the Saudi Embassy attached to the ministry of information and national orientation.

He said that it also underscored the existing relationship between the two countries.

“The Government of Nigeria is willing to continue to work with the Saudi Arabian government to deepen collaboration in the area of economy and the area of security and other spheres,” he said.

The minister said that the federal government had appended its signature to three Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) proposed by the Saudi government.

According to him, one of them is cooperation in the exchange of news between the News Agency of Nigeria and the Saudi Press Agency.

“There is also a second MOU that has to do with the collaboration in the fields of radio and television between the Nigerian Television Authority and Saudi Broadcasting Authority.

“That also has been sanctioned by the Nigerian government.

“The third MOU is on the cooperation in the field of audiovisual media between the General Commission for Audiovisual Media in Saudi and the National Broadcasting Commission,” he said.

The minister said that there would soon be a collaborative meeting between himself and his counterpart in Saudi Arabia to strengthen all these MOUs that have already been agreed to.

(NAN)