Top executives of the Jeddah and Dubai Chambers of Commerce and Industry discuss business opportunities. JEDDAH/DUBAI – The high-level Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) delegation, in a meeting with its counterpart from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has urged Dubai businessmen to invest in Saudi Arabia's western region in the areas of construction, infrastructure, manufacturing and tourism which are the most lucrative investment areas at the moment. Mazen M. Baterjee, JCCI Vice Chairman, also revealed that his Chamber was planning to organize a business forum in Dubai soon to highlight the investment opportunities available in Saudi Arabia. Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, recently received the JCCI contingent in the presence of Hamad Buamim, Director General; and Atiq Juma Nasib, Senior Director, Commercial Services Sector, Dubai Chamber. Baterjee also said the visit will go a long way in establishing close relations with Dubai Chamber as the two sides have common objectives which he said is the key to a successful business partnership. He invited Dubai businesses to attend the Jeddah International Economic Forum, which will be held on March 2-4 and will offer a fitting platform for businesses to reach out to their Saudi counterparts. Exports and re-exports of Dubai Chamber members to Saudi Arabia grew by 17 percent in 2011 valued at AED59.3 billion from 2010, a clear sign of a strong trade partnership between Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Earlier, Dubai Chamber has received delegations from Saudi Arabia's Al-Ahsa Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Saudi Federation of Chambers of Commerce and has also participated in the International Bar Association (IBA) Annual Conference road shows held in Jeddah and Riyadh to raise awareness about the prestigious legal forum held last October in Dubai. The latest Saudi delegation's visit came on the heels of their earlier successful meeting held at Dubai Chamber last month, and to follow up on the preliminary agreements they had from Dubai companies about hiring of labor for the planned projects in the Western region of Saudi Arabia. Al Ghurair said it is the ideal time for both the chambers to discuss investment opportunities in promising markets like Turkey and Kurdistan as both sides are looking for supporting the expansion of business growth and investments in their respective countries. Al Ghurair said the visit will help further enhance cooperation between Dubai and Saudi Arabia as Dubai Chamber is committed to extend all cooperation and work jointly with other GCC chambers for the enhancement of trade in the region. He added that the follow-up visit indicates that the relationship between the two chambers is getting stronger by the day and will lead to an advanced stage of exchanging of personal experiences about the market trends in both the countries. Al Ghurair reaffirmed the commitment of Dubai Chamber to provide all the cooperation and support to the JCCI in regards to facilitating an easy access to Dubai businesses, the emirate's best practices and economic initiatives which he said will help develop a stronger bilateral tie between Dubai and Jeddah.
