The Saudi Council of Commerce in collaboration with Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East (JCCME) and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) branch in Saudi Arabia will hold here on Tuesday an economic forum with participation of more 160 businessmen from both sides to discuss aspects of cooperation between the two countries. The Forum will be attended by high-level officials including Khalid Mohammed Al Qusaibi, The Minister of Economy and Planning; Japan's Senior Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry; Dr. Khalid Al Suleiman, The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Trade and Economy for Industrial Affairs; Saudi Ambassador to Japan Abdulaziz Turkistani and Japanese Ambassador to the Kingdom Shigeru Endo. The Saudi-Japanese economic relations receives special attention from Council of Saudi Chambers in line with the desire of the leaderships of the two countries and the aspirations of Saudi and Japanese Businessmen towards the utilization of the available partnership opportunities in various sectors, said Abdulrahman Al Juraisai, The Vice chairman of The council and Head of the Saudi-Japanese Business Council. He pointed out to the unprecedented volume of trade exchange between the two countries, which amounted to SR 214 billion in 2008 which makes Japan the second economic partner of Saudi Arabia. The Forum 3-session program includes the activities of Saudi-Japanese industrial cooperation; the Saudi National Industrial Strategy in addition to a presentation on Saudi Institute of Electronics and Appliances (SEHAI) that was implemented on initiative of Saudi-Japanese Business Council in cooperation with Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) and representatives of Japanese companies in Saudi Arabia. It is worth mentioning that Saudi Arabia and Japan share strong trade and economic ties for over 50 years with a total investment in the Saudi-Japanese joint projects in the Kingdom of approximately $ 23.3 million in 2008.
