MANAMA — AmCham MENA Regional Council’s Annual Forum opened Tuesday at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in the Kingdom of Bahrain with more than 300 high-level delegates in attendance at the two day event aimed at promoting the expansion of trade and investment between the markets of the MENA region and the United States.
Among those in attendance were senior representatives from the US and MENA governments, multilateral financing institutions, private sectors companies and representatives from the US Chamber of Commerce and the MENA Council member AmChams of Abu Dhabi-UAE, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia. Representatives were also present from other regional US Business Councils and a broad range of international and regional business associations including those from Saudi Arabia and the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
The Forum’s opening ceremony featured a number of high levels speakers addressing issues critical to enhancing economic relations and trade. This includes welcoming remarks from the Honorable William Roebuck, US Ambassador to Bahrain, and a keynote address from the United States’ top-ranking diplomat for the MENA region, Ambassador Stuart E. Jones, Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary at the Bureau for Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department based in Washington DC.
Ambassador Jones will launch discussions on the Forum’s theme SMEs: Unlocking Economic Potential in the MENA Region. Other keynote addresses are to be delivered by H.E. Zayed R. Alzayani, Bahrain’s Minister of Industry, Commerce & Tourism and Mr. Khush Choksy, Senior Vice President, Middle East and Turkey Affairs, US Chamber of Commerce.
Qays H. Zu›bi, President of AmCham Bahrain, said “as the current Chairs of the AmCham MENA Council, we are honoured to host this year’s Forum in the Kingdom of Bahrain. With the strong turn out, we are delighted to build upon its success over the past decade as an effective bridge and platform for bringing together business leaders, associations and government representatives from the Middle East and North Africa region and the United States in order to support the expansion of trade, investment and economic activity. The opportunities between our markets are exponential and it is the primary mission of the Council and our AmChams to see these opportunities realized.”
He further said: “We are especially pleased with the very high level and diverse group of participants and speakers that we have been fortunate enough to attract. It mirrors the size, scale and diversity of the opportunity before us. The importance of the issues we are addressing, both for the MENA region and the United States, is also no better underscored than by the enormous support we have received and the caliber of individuals that are taking part and have partnered with the Forum. We look forward to strong outcomes and the acceleration of business activity based on the common values, principles and mutual economic interests that have been affirmed here today.”
