JEDDAH: The president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Gabriela Cuevas Barron, has praised Saudi efforts to promote joint action with the international community on Arab, Islamic and international issues. Following her meeting with Dr. Abdullah Al-Asheikh of the Saudi Shoura Council, as part of her current visit to the Kingdom, Barron said that the IPU sees Saudi Arabia as an important partner for progress, especially given its role as a leading provider of global energy. She also stressed that the Kingdom is an important player in countering international extremism, and that Saudi Arabia is among the most vociferous supporters of the IPU and its agenda. Barron said that the world is facing serious challenges and needs more sound and sensible voices that believe in reason, dialogue and joint action under the umbrella of IPU. Al-Asheikh highlighted the importance of these meetings in promoting joint action between the Shoura Council and IPU to strengthen the Shoura Council’s role in this important inter-parliamentary forum, reflecting the Kingdom’s international status and convey its views on many regional and international issues. Barron thanked Al-Asheikh for his continued support for the work of IPU, stressing the need for combining the efforts of the different parliamentary councils to promote cooperation between states. During the meeting, they discussed a number of topics that target improving cooperation between the Shoura Council and IPU. Barron also met with several other politicians and dignitaries at the meeting in Riyadh. The IPU is a global forum for parliamentarians, with 178 members that meet annually to discuss global issues.