DUSHANBE, May 19, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- An official visit of Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi to Saudi Arabia started today, the MAFA information department reported.  

Zarifi arrived in Riyadh Monday evening on a visit to Saudi Arabia that lasts for several days.  During the visit, he is scheduled to hold talks with a number of senior Saudi officials to discuss state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral relations between Tajikistan and Saudi Arabia as well as a set of regional and international issues

Zarifi is supposed to meet with King Abdullah Bin-Abd-al-Aziz Al Saud, Foreign Minister Amir Saud Al-Faisal, Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, Finance Minister and Chairman of the Saudi Fund for Development Ibrahim Abdul Al-Assaf, Chairman of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation Al-Waleed Ibn Talal and a number of other high-ranking Saudi state officials.

Besides, Tajik minister will also meet with Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), Professor Akmaliddin Ehsanugly.

Zarifi made stopover in Dubai (the United Arab Emirates) on May 18 on his way to Riyadh, where he met with managers of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Arab Economic Development, the MFA information department said.