The seventh Saudi-Japanese Business Council began here today its meetings in the presence of minister of economy and planning Khalid al-Qusaibi. Speaking on the occasion, Abdulrahman Al-Jireisi, the chairman of the chamber of commerce and industry of Riyadh, underlined the importance of boosting trade exchange between the Kingdom and Japan. On the other hand Japanese ambassador to the Kingdom Yasuo Saito said the Kingdom and Japan have been linked with strong trade and political relations. The ambassador hoped that the participants of the meeting would discuss means for boosting and diversifying economic cooperation between the two countries. He underlined the importance of enabling the business council to positively contribute to broadening horizons of cooperation in a manner that cooperation includes other domains like sciences, technology, research , culture and tourism. On his part, al-Qusaibi underscored the important role being played by the business council in enhancing bilateral relations, and said the agenda of the meeting includes discussion of a number of important issues like the admission of the Kingdom to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the eighth development plan. 'The eighth development plan includes so many issues like the issues of the Saudi woman, unemployment, poverty and administrative developments', he said. The minister noted that the Kingdom has ranked the top in the list of the Arab countries as regards the suitable investment environment.
