Saudi Gazette report

LONDON — Saudi Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi has affirmed at the Saudi-UK Strategic Partnership Council that Saudi vision 2030 launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman transformed the Saudi economy and created promising opportunities in many vital sectors.

He explained that the Saudi-British partnership is unique, and the UK is the second-largest exporter of services in the world. He added that the two countries can cooperate to establish a global integration system that covers many aspects of sports, tourism, culture, arts, and technology, all of which have become a global language that requires no translation.

The meeting was also attended by Saudi Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki, and Sir Chris Bryant, UK's Minister of State for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism.

The roundtable, organized by the National Competitiveness Center in cooperation with the UK Department for Business and Trade, focused on introducing companies to the promising opportunities offered by the Kingdom's hosting of international sporting events, such as the 2034 World Cup. It also addressed opportunities for cooperation in areas supporting the sports sector, such as technology, infrastructure, construction, facility operations, and planning and execution of major events.

In a meeting with Jonathan Reynolds, Minister of State for Business and Trade, which was attended by Prince Khalid bin Bandar, Saudi Ambassador to UK, and Neil Crompton, British Ambassador to the Kingdom, Al-Qasabi discussed enhancing cooperation in developing the sports sector in light of Saudi hosting major events such as the 2034 World Cup. They reviewed the progress of initiatives emerging from the economic and social committees of the Saudi-British Strategic Partnership Council, including developments in the negotiations of the Free Trade Agreement between UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

During the meeting, the two sides highlighted the importance of the Saudi-British Future Skills Initiative and its impact on developing skills in sectors of mutual interest, in addition to the continuation of the Great Futures Initiative for 2025.

The Saudi delegation's agenda on the first day included a field visit to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and its facilities. The delegation was briefed on the facilities' capabilities and experience in hosting entertainment and sporting events.

The participating entities in the visit included the ministries of Commerce, Sports, Investment and Finance, the Supreme Committee for Hosting the 2034 World Cup, the Public Investment Fund, the National Competitiveness Center, the Saudi Business Center, the National Center for Privatization, and a number of major national companies specializing in sports events, infrastructure, and media.

Al-Qasabi arrived in the British capital, London, on a working visit, accompanied by a delegation comprising officials from nine government agencies and 30 leaders from the business sector and major national companies. The visit aims to build economic partnerships in the sports sector between the two countries, strengthen relations across various priority sectors, and raise the level of commercial partnerships.