Spanish king keen on boosting Saudi trade ties

Spanish King Felipe VI speaks at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday. (AN photo)

RIYADH: Spanish King Felipe VI expressed Monday his country’s desire to bolster economic, trade and investment relations with Saudi Arabia.
Speaking at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), the visiting king said that bilateral relations between the two countries rest on a long-standing historical and cultural base.
Saudi Arabia and Spain are already established trading partners, with Spain ranking third among the biggest European importers from the Kingdom, King Felipe VI said at the chamber.
The king said that the presence of many Spanish companies and their contribution to developmental projects in the Kingdom is proof of the technical experience of the Spanish companies.
He voiced the desire of Spanish companies to contribute to the objectives set under the Vision 2030 reform plan and the National Transformation Program.
The success achieved by the Spanish companies in implementing developmental projects in the Kingdom is considered a stimulus to implement more projects, the king underscored.
Ahmad Sulaiman Al-Rajhi, chairman of the board of directors of the RCCI, said the Spanish king’s visit will give a boost to Saudi-Spanish relations.
“Saudi (Arabia’s) business sector appreciates the level of relations between the two countries, thanks to the support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and King Felipe VI,” he said.
The Spanish king earlier paid a visit to the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE), where he was welcomed by the city’s president, Hashem Abdullah Yamani.
During the meeting they discussed various aspects of mutual cooperation in the field of the peaceful use of atomic and renewable energy.
The visiting king, accompanied by Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Toraifi, was briefed on K.A.CARE’s programs in the field of sustainable energy.