Bahrain's Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa ibn Salman Al-Khalifa yesterday expressed his optimism that Saudi investments in his country would grow further thanks to the incentives offered by the government. Opening the first Al-Eqtisadiah forum for Saudi and Bahraini businessmen, the premier emphasized the strong relations between the two Gulf Cooperation Council neighbors. "These strong ties guarantee success of joint ventures by businessmen of the two countries," he added. Prince Faisal ibn Salman, chairman of Saudi Research & Marketing Group (SRMG), attended the opening session of the forum organized by Al-Eqtisadiah business daily, a sister publication of Arab News. "The forum symbolizes the historic relations between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain," the premier told the gathering, attended by a large number of men and women business executives from both countries. "This is a good opportunity to strengthen economic and commercial partnership between the two countries," Sheikh Khalifa said, emphasizing Bahrain's desire to extend all facilities to foreign investors. --more 13 05 Local Time 10 05 GMT
