Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Jeddah

Visit comes a day before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's arrival in the kingdom

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Jeddah. SPA

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has held talks with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Jeddah.

Mr Maduro arrived in the Red Sea city on Monday and was received by Deputy Governor of Makkah, Prince Badr bin Sultan.

He met Prince Mohammed on Tuesday morning, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

“During the meeting, they reviewed the bilateral relations between the two friendly countries, prospects for co-operation and opportunities to enhance it in various fields, and exchanged views on a number of issues of common concern,” SPA said.

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto met his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Monday.

They discussed ways to enhance international peace, security and global sustainable development goals, SPA reported.

Mr Maduro's visit showcases the kingdom's willingness to enhance its diplomatic outreach beyond traditional western alliances.

In recent months, Saudi Arabia has restored its ties with Syria and Iran and has focused on building relations with China and Russia.

The kingdom welcomed Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a close western ally, to the Arab League summit held last month.

Mr Maduro's visit comes a day before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken lands in Saudi Arabia for talks with the Saudi leadership.

Mr Blinken is expected to attend the US-Saudi Strategic dialogue and a GCC meeting to enhance relations between the two sides.

The two-day trip will be the second by a senior American official to the kingdom in a month, after a visit by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in early May.