Marc Bogaerts A Belgian Economic Mission, presided over by HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium, representing His Majesty the King will be visiting Riyadh, Jubail and Jeddah from March 15 until 18. Economic missions are organized jointly by the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency and the regional institutions for foreign trade: Flanders Investment & Trade, Wallonia Trade & Investment and Brussels Invest & Export. The Federal Public Service of Foreign Affairs in Brussels and our Embassy in Riyadh handle the political and protocol aspects of the program. This type of missions has been organized for 50 years. From the very start a member of the royal family has traveled around the globe in order to create opportunities for Belgian companies. This will be the third economic mission of Princess Astrid, as her brother King Philippe, who has led missions for 20 years, became king in July of last year. Didier Reynders, federal deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, foreign trade and European affairs will take part in the mission. On a regional level, Jean-Claude Marcourt, vice-president and minister of economy, SMEs, foreign trade and new technologies of the Walloon Government and minister of higher education of the government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and Céline Frémault, minister of economy, employment, scientific research and foreign trade of the Brussels-Capital Region will also travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Over 350 participants, of which executives of over 150 companies in various sectors will be joining the mission to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Sectors as diverse as healthcare, infrastructure, energy and ICT, to name just a few, will be represented. Apart from the business meetings, official contacts with members of the Saudi government and governors are also planned. The mission kicks off in Riyadh with Princess Astrid visiting the National Museum, where she will be introduced to the Saudi-Belgian archaeological project in Al-Ghat. This first joint Saudi-Belgian project confirms the archaeological importance of the Al-Ghat region, an area with a very rich history located in the Alhamada valley in north central Saudi Arabia. On March 16, Princess Astrid will hold a working breakfast with the Vice Chairman and CEO of SABIC, Mohamed Al-Mady, to strengthen the bilateral relation between SABIC and its Belgian business counterparts. A working session will follow with the Mayor of Riyadh, Abdullah Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Mogbel, where Belgian companies will have the chance to present their know how in, for example, public lighting, cleaning of public roads, etc. An opening session “Saudi at a glance” will be held at the Council of Saudi Chambers in the presence of Princess Astrid. As a part of this session, a signing ceremony will be organized and will give the occasion to Belgian companies to sign contracts with their Saudi counterparts. Fourteen signings have been announced. In the afternoon the AGFA Healthcare Saudi Arabia Office will be officially inaugurated. Later on that same day, the King Abdullah Financial District will be visited, where the Belgian company Hamon has built a cool tower. During the official Belgian reception on Sunday evening, our famous Belgian chocolates will be omnipresent. To make sure you are not left out, we have provided Belgian chocolates for you today. On the mission's third day Princess Astrid will be received at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Business-to-business talks will take place, followed by a workshop on “Belgium and International Cooperation in the Development of Innovative Nuclear Energy and Technologies”. A workshop on “Architecture & Design”, will also be organized on the premises of the chamber. After that, the Economic Mission will continue in the Eastern Province, where Princess Astrid and the delegation will be visiting the Katoen Natie Khonaini logistical terminal in Jubail Industrial City. This Saudi-Belgian joint venture is a leading logistics service provider for the petrochemical industry. Princess Astrid will also visit the Sadara Chemical Complex where Belgian chemical flagship company Solvay has established a joint venture to build a hydrogen peroxide mega plant. On the last day of the mission, Princess Astrid will arrive in Jeddah to attend the opening of the Saudi-Belgian Business Forum organized in cooperation with the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Belgian company Besix will present its activities in Jeddah, where together with Saudi Aramco it is laying the last hand on one of the most beautiful projects in the Gulf —the King Abdullah Sports City. The remainder of the afternoon will be dedicated to healthcare when Princess Astrid will visit the King Abdulaziz University to open a Belgian-Saudi healthcare seminar and witness the signing of a cooperation between the Belgian company Mithra Pharmaceuticals and Jamjoom Medical Industries. A special website has been created for this mission, and I would like to invite you to consult it for more detailed information and future press releases. The URL is www.belgianeconomicmission.be. — Marc Bogaerts is the Director General of the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency and Advisor to HM the King
