AlQa'dah 29, 1433, Oct 15, 2012, SPA - GCC-Malaysian Investment Forum started here today with the participation of commerce ministers and officials of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States. The two-day Forum organized by the Secretariat General of GCC Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry discusses economic relations and investment opportunities available to both sides. In his opening speech, Malaysian Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Makhriz Mahathir Mohammed commended his country's distinguished relations with GCC States, pointing to the growth of investment between the two sides from 10.4 percent in 2010 to 13.4 percent in 1212. For his part, the President of GCC Federation Khalil Khanji said that total trade exchanges between the GCC States and Malaysia amounted to $ 13 billion in 2011 compared with $ 10.7 billion in 2007, an increase of 21%, estimating the volume of GCC-Malaysian investments at $ 27 billion in 2011. He noted that GCC tourists who visited Malaysia amounted to 200,000 last year, in addition to the presence of 16,000 students from GCC States studying at Malaysian colleges and universities.
