Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, stressed today that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has, through a system of mining investment and its executive regulations, enacted a number of articles and procedures that balance between exploitation of mineral resources and achievement of the development goals, together with preservation of environment, so that the exploitation of mineral resources and their manufacturing has become an integral part of the national development system. He also said that the Kingdom's mining policy seeks meeting the local needs of the mineral ores and related industries, such as construction materials, and barring the exportation of raw materials abroad, and instead, converting them into manufactured products, or concentrates with high added value. This came in Al-Naimi's speech on the occasion of his winning the Arab Excellence Award in the mining sector as he led the Kingdom's delegation to the 13th Arab International Conference for Mineral Wealth and 5th Ministerial Meeting of the Arab ministers in charge of mineral wealth sector which started today in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh under the patronage of King Mohammed VI. Eng. Al-Naimi thanked the leadership, government and people of the Kingdom of Morocco for the warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded to the Saudi delegation. He also lauded the role played by the Arab Organization for Industrial and Mining Development for its efforts in developing and enhancing Arab joint action in the field of mineral resources and other mining activities. "As you know, most countries in the world have natural resources with different quantity and importance from one state to another and from time to time. Our Arab region has various resources, including the mineral resources which are the component and the basic motive for transformational industries. Fortunately, our Arab mineral resources have their signs on the surface of the earth, easing their discovery. But the basis for the success of exploiting these resources is determining the target, good management, transparent regulations, existence of companies with financial solvency, technical and administrative efficiency and high productivity," Al-Naimi added. --More 21:19 LOCAL TIME 18:19 GMT تغريد
