An official Saudi delegation led by Dr. Iman Habas Al-Mutairi, CEO of the Saudi National Competitiveness Center, arrived in the Netherlands to attend talks aimed at strengthening and enhancing the two friendly nations' trade and economic partnerships across important sectors.
The Saudi delegation, which will be in the country until next Thursday, includes representatives from the following ministries: Energy; Investment; Environment, Water and Agriculture; the Saudi Ports Authority; the General Authority for Foreign Trade; the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation; the National Competitiveness Center; Jeddah Islamic Port; the Council of Saudi Chambers; in addition to representatives of the most prestigious companies such as Saudi Aramco, SABIC, and the Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC).
The delegation will hold numerous official meetings and working sessions with government agencies and the business sector in the Netherlands. Deputy Minister for Foreign Economic Affairs, Dr. Hanneke Schuiling received the delegation in the administrative capital of the Hague, in the presence of the Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Netherlands, Ziad Maashi Al-Attiyah.
During the meeting, both sides discussed measures to improve the two nations' economic ties in light of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.
On the first day, the group visited the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Center (ICAI), the University of Amsterdam, and the Business Incubator Village. The delegation was informed on the most recent advances and practices, given the Netherlands' extensive expertise in innovative science and the development of knowledge and technology in the domains of renewable energy, food, transport, logistics, healthcare, smart cities, and innovation,
Later, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs held sessions with senior executives from major companies (Dutch Shell, Unilever, and Phillips), the VNO-NCW Organization, which is the Union of the largest business owners and industry in the Netherlands, accounting for over 185 thousand entities, and the TNO Organization, which is classified as one of the world's largest research institutions specialized in circular economy and sustainable infrastructure.
The Saudi delegation reviewed the promising opportunities and prospects for cooperation and partnership, particularly in the field of renewable energy, in light of the Kingdom's competitive advantages and its geographical location, and the nature of its climate, which made the use of renewable energy sources economically feasible and supportive of its efforts in the area of energy source diversification.
The working sessions discussed bilateral cooperation in the field of circular economy, hydrogen generation, water, agriculture, trade facilitation and logistics services.