RIYADH — French President Francois Hollande will arrive in Riyadh on Sunday on an official visit to the Kingdom during which he will meet Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Saturday. During the meeting, they will discuss bilateral relations and ways of enhancing them in various fields as well as regional and international issues of common interest. According to French daily Le Figaro, the French president is expected to sign several trade deals. Relations between Saudi Arabia and France, in all fields, have been described as outstanding. In 2011, trade (imports and exports) between the two countries showed a very marked increase (17%) totaling 7694 million euros compared to 6586 million euros in 2010, despite a decline in the value of French exports. The structure of French imports from Saudi Arabia is traditionally marked by the preponderance of petroleum products and petrochemicals (98%, or 4481 million euros in 2011). Sales of mechanical equipment, electronic, electrical and computer equipment, which represent 28% of our exports (879 million euros), were up 10.1% annually since 2006 and 21.3% compared to 2010. – SG
