RIYADH: Bakyt Batyrshayev, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, visited the Riyadh headquarters of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) on Tuesday, where he held talks with Aqeel Al-Ghamdi, its assistant supervisor general of planning and development. “During the visit the ambassador learned about the center’s extensive relief and humanitarian work in 43 countries,” KSRelief said. He was also briefed about Saudi Vision 2030 and its focus on building the capacities of the Kingdom’s humanitarian and volunteer programs. Batyrshayev and Al-Ghamdi also discussed a cooperative project in which the center will send a team of medical volunteers to Kazakhstan to perform pediatric open-heart surgeries and cardiac catheterizations, a procedure that is used to diagnose and treat cardiovascular conditions. The initiative aims to provide specialized cardiac services to children in urgent need of treatment, and to train Kazakh medics to provide such care in future. The ambassador thanked KSRelief and the leadership of Saudi Arabia for all their relief and humanitarian work, and said he was pleased that his country has the opportunity to benefit from Saudi Arabia’s generous medical outreach services. Speaking in December during his country’s National Day celebrations in the Kingdom, Batyrshayev spoke of the fast-growing ties between Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan. “Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia are strategic partners, and they have many common features and interests,” he said. “We are proud of our strong, enduring partnership and pledge to continue our work to further strengthen it.”