Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz held official talks Wednesday with Bulgarian Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev in Sofia.
At the outset of the meeting, Prince Abdulaziz said the talks were held under the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to strengthen existing security cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Bulgaria.
The talks focused on bilateral relations, ways to strengthen security cooperation, and issues of mutual interest, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Both sides stressed the importance of strengthening security cooperation in combating crime, tracking down perpetrators, countering drug trafficking networks, and combating money laundering. Discussions also covered efforts to combat terrorism and extremism in all their forms, share expertise and experience, and enhance the capabilities of specialists on both sides.
The Saudi Minister also visited the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior’s General Directorate Combating Organized Crime today, accompanied by Bulgarian Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev.
During the visit, Prince Abdulaziz was briefed on the security capabilities and equipment used to combat organized and transnational crime. He also learned about efforts to counter criminal networks, particularly those involved in drug and human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and cybercrime.
Prince Abdulaziz also received an overview of the Directorate’s operations and its international security cooperation and coordination with counterpart agencies.
In another development, Undersecretary of the Saudi Ministry of Interior Dr. Khalid Al-Battal headed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s delegation participating at the preparatory meeting of Interior Ministry Undersecretaries from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, held in the Kingdom of Bahrain in preparation for the 43rd GCC Interior Ministers’ Meeting.
The meeting discussed security matters of mutual interest and reviewed means to further develop cooperation and coordination among GCC interior ministries to support joint Gulf security cooperation and achieve shared objectives and aspirations.
Meanwhile, the Arab Cybersecurity Ministers Council held the fourth meeting of its executive office via videoconference on Wednesday, chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by Governor of the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) Eng. Majed Al-Mazyed, with the participation of senior officials, representatives of the member states of the council's executive office, and the council’s Secretary General Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al-Furaih.
Discussions focused on implementing the Arab Cybersecurity Strategy and preparations for the council's third regular session, scheduled for late November in Doha, Qatar.
The executive office also approved the launch of several initiatives under the strategy, including an Arab program for cybersecurity capacity building and awareness raising. It also discussed developing guidelines to strengthen cybersecurity across member states. (SPA; Photo © Bulgarian Ministry of Interior)
