PUTRAJAYA, Oct 29 — King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia has extended a personal invitation to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to visit Saudi Arabia soon.

The monarch’s special envoy, Turki Mohamed Fahd Al Saud, handed the invitation to Dr Mahathir at a meeting today at Perdana Putra here.

Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, who also attended the meeting, said the invitation for the visit is aimed at further strengthening the existing good relations between the two countries.

"The Prime Minister expressed his thanks and will consider the right time for the visit as he is busy right now,” Saifuddin said to reporters after the meeting.

Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Malaysia Mahmoud Hussien Saeed Qattan also attended the meeting.

Last Friday, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel Ahmed Al-Jubeir called on Dr Mahathir. — Bernama