A delegation from Saudi Arabia’s Shoura Council arrived here yesterday, on the invitation of the Speaker of Parliament, Karu Jayasuriya. The Shoura Council is the consultative assembly of Saudi Arabia.
The Chairman of the Shoura Council, Abdullah Al-Assheikh heads the delegation. The other four delegates are Lina Almaeena, Dr. Osama Al Rabiah, Dr. Fathima Al-Shehri and Atta Al-Turki. The Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia is also known as Majlis ash-Shura or Shourah Council, and is the formal advisory body of Saudi Arabia. It has the power to propose laws to the cabinet of ministers which will pass laws. It has 150 appointed members. Since 2013, the Assembly has included 30 women members. The Consultative Assembly is headed by a Speaker. Since 2016, the Speaker has been Dr. Al-Assheikh. The Assembly is based in al-Yamamah Palace, Riyadh,
Speaking to the Daily News, Saudi Ambassador Abdunasser Al-Harthy said the purpose of this visit was to strengthen the parliamentary relations between the two countries and also to enhance the bilateral relations between the two countries.
The visiting delegation is to visit Parliament and hold talks with Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. The Saudi delegation is also expected to meet President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Leader of the Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The Saudi envoy said that during the visit to Parliament, Chairman Al-Assheikh is due to address the members of parliament to convey the greetings of the Saudi leadership to the people of Sri Lanka.