LONDON, Oct 31: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia continued his state visit to Britain and held a meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown at his Downing Street residence on Wednesday.

Talks between the two leaders were expected to cover Britain and Saudi’s shared interests in counter-terrorism, the Middle East peace process, Iraq and Iran.

On Tuesday, the King and his entourage were entertained by Britain’s queen, Elizabeth the Second, at a banquet in Buckingham Palace.

The desert kingdom of Saudi Arabia is regarded as extremely important by the UK government because of its pivotal role in Middle East affairs.

The Queen while welcoming the Saudi monarch, noted contacts between their two families had been regular and close.

“25,000 British nationals carry out pilgrimage annually to Makkah and to Medina, and they are particularly grateful for the enormous effort that the Saudi authorities put in to ensuring a safe and successful visit,” she added.

She said the two nations have shared much that stemmed from what she called two great religious traditions based on Abrahamic faiths.

She said that in a world where some people sought to exploit religion to undermine the two societies, “we must continue to work together to promote common values, strengthen mutual understanding and encourage appreciation of what is best in both our cultures.

“She also noted that the two-way exchange of trade and investment was now flourishing, with the UK “now benefiting from inward investment from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, while links between our armed forces are stronger than ever.”

In reply, King Abdullah praised the British people for their tolerance of ethnicities, religions and colours.

Among the 170 guests, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and members of the royal family, including the Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, Prince Charles’ wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Queen’s daughter, Anne, the Princess Royal, were present.

The state visit is due to end on Thursday.