Saeed Al Khotani Saudi Gazette RIYADH – The First Saudi-French Business Opportunities Forum will be launched in the French capital Paris on April 10-12, French Ambassador to the Kingdom Bertrand Besancenot said. “Organizing the forum was decided by the French Minister of Foreign Trade, Nicole Bricq and the Saudi Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr. Tafeeq bin Fozan Al Rabeeah. It's the first forum of this kind in Europe,” he told the Saudi Gazette. The forum, organized by MEDEF International jointly with the Committee for International Trade of the Council of Saudi Chambers, will be held at Intercontinental, Paris Le Grand Hôtel. “The purpose of the Forum is first of all to provide French companies with information about investment programs, major projects and business opportunities in Saudi Arabia and to foster Saudi and French SME's matching through B2B meetings,” the ambassador said. He mentioned that more than 300 French companies will attend, while close to 200 businessmen and official representatives have already confirmed in the Saudi delegation, emphasizing that the forum has got a strong political backing with the expected participation of four ministers from each side – representing a new step in the strengthening of the French-Saudi relationship. Besancenot said that Saudi Arabia is a strategic partner to France in the region and the bilateral relationship is of paramount importance in the economic field as we are seeing that the bilateral trade has doubled over the last five years, to reach €8.73 billion in 2012, an increase of 13 percent compared with 2011. He further said Saudi Arabia is France 's first provider of crude oil, while France is Saudi Arabia's 7th provider. French export to the Kingdom represented €3.2 billion in 2012 with a wide variety of goods – ranging from mechanical, electronic and electric equipment (€947 million), agro-food products (€472 million), cosmetics and chemical products (€430 million), metallic products (€298 million), pharmaceutical products (€263 million), aircraft and satellites (€230 million). Engineer Omar Bahiliwa told the Saudi Gazette that in addition to introducing French side on the Saudi economy and investment opportunities, the forum aims at introducing Saudi businessmen to the French business community and available trade and investment opportunities in France, and providing networking possibilities with their French counterparts. He said that the Saudi side, which will be composed of top businessmen and senior officials from both government and private sector, will be headed by Minister Al Rabeeah. Bahiliwa added that the forum will focus on fields like Saudi and French economies, finance, health, renewable energy, oil, gas, petrochemicals, transportation, urban development, water & electricity, and industrial infrastructure.
