Saudi, Thai commerce ministers discusses strengthening trade and investment

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi receives his Thai counterpart Jurin Laksanawisit and his accompanying delegation. (SPA)

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi on Sunday met with his Thai counterpart Jurin Laksanawisit in the capital, Riyadh, during his visit to the Kingdom, along with a delegation that included more than 190 government officials and businessmen.
During the meeting, Al-Qasabi discussed ways to strengthen friendly ties between the two countries in both the public and private sectors in the commercial and investment fields, including agriculture, industry, tourism, food industries, and entrepreneurship for small and medium enterprises.
They also discussed the possibility of concluding a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Thailand.
Al-Qasabi, who is also and chairman of the board of directors of the General Authority for Foreign Trade, hosted a dinner banquet for the Thai minister and his accompanying delegation.
The meeting was attended by the ministers of tourism, investment, human resources and social development, industry and mineral resources, and heads of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, the Food and Drug Authority, and the Federation of Saudi Chambers.
More than 200 representatives of Saudi and Thai companies participated in the Saudi-Thai Business Forum, held on Monday, at the Saudi Chambers in Riyadh. The forum aims to encourage commercial partnership between the business sectors of both countries, sign bilateral partnership agreements, and discuss prospects for cooperation in various economic sectors.
The volume of trade exchange between the two countries for last year amounted to SR26.8 billion ($7,129 billion), where the most important commodities exported to Thailand were mineral products and fertilizers, while the most important commodities imported from Thailand were cars and their parts.