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Saudi Arabia, Türkiye Sign Understanding for Cooperation in Mining

Bandar AlKhorayef, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, and Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, sign the MoU in Ankara on Monday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Bandar AlKhorayef, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, and Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, sign the MoU in Ankara on Monday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia, Türkiye Sign Understanding for Cooperation in Mining

Bandar AlKhorayef, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, and Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, sign the MoU in Ankara on Monday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Bandar AlKhorayef, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, and Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, sign the MoU in Ankara on Monday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed on Monday a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of mining.

The agreement was signed during a meeting between Bandar AlKhorayef, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, and Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, in Ankara.

In remarks following the meeting, Bayraktar said discussions touched on mutual investments in energy. He noted that the MoU paves the way for bilateral cooperation in the field of mining and the vital minerals needed in areas such as the manufacture of electric cars and solar panels.

AlKhorayef had kicked off an official visit to Türkiye on Monday with the aim of boosting cooperation opportunities in the industrial and mining sectors.

Last month, Bayraktar expressed his country’s desire to enhance cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the field of energy, pointing to the interest of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries to invest in renewable energy in Türkiye.

“Our country has a huge capacity in this field, as it ranks 12th in the world and fifth in Europe,” he stated.

According to data from the Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, the value of non-oil exports to Türkiye amounted to about SAR13.5 billion, while the value of imports reached SAR2.9 billion, in addition to financing export credit insurance worth $26 million from the Saudi Export-Import Bank.

The Saudi Industrial Development Fund also contributes to financing a joint project with Ankara at a value of SAR3.5 million, while Turkish investments have entered into three projects in the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones.

Meanwhile, the Turkish e-shopping company, Trendyol, announced that it was accelerating its efforts to launch its operations in Gulf countries, starting with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Trendyol Group President Çağlayan Çetin said the company wants to attract more attention from the Gulf to Turkish brands.

Last October, Trendyol signed a cooperation agreement with the Saudi shareholding company, Fawaz Alhokair Group, to offer Turkish-made products to Saudi markets and open their first physical stores in the region.

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Business

Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)

Severe wildfire seasons are increasingly hurting western Canada's lucrative tourism industry, with some visitors beginning to avoid the busy late-summer months due to concerns about uncontrolled blazes, smoke-filled skies and road closures.

After a scorching start to July, nearly 600 wildfires are now ablaze across British Columbia and Alberta, including a huge fire that this week devastated the picturesque tourist town of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

Dozens of communities, including popular holiday spots in British Columbia's Kootenay region, are under evacuation orders and several highways are closed.

This year's surge in wildfire activity comes after Canada endured its worst-ever year for wildfires in 2023, when more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres) burned, including parts of the city of West Kelowna in the heart of British Columbia's wine region.

Ellen Walker-Matthews, head of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, said the industry was seeing a lot more last-minute travel decisions instead of booking in advance.

"It's a huge blow. July and August are traditionally the busiest months in the region," said Walker-Matthews, adding that while her region has been relatively unscathed by wildfires this summer, some visitors are choosing to avoid interior British Columbia altogether.

The members of the British Columbia Lodging and Campgrounds Association are reporting a 5-15% drop in bookings from a year ago, with the biggest declines coming from the hotter Okanagan and Cariboo regions, said Joss Penny, who heads the association.

"The concern is that this is something we have to live with and we have it every year now," said Penny.

Although wildfires in Canada's forests are natural and common, scientists say drier, hotter conditions fueled by climate change are leading to more volatile and frequent blazes.

'SMOKEY SKIES'

Some events, like the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, usually held in August, have now been rescheduled to earlier in the summer to avoid what is now seen as peak smoke season. The festival, which was cancelled last year due to nearby wildfires, was this year moved to July to benefit from "less smokey skies."

Wildfires and extreme climatic events are prompting tourists to "change their plans not just temporarily, but permanently," said Elizabeth Halpenny, a tourism researcher and professor at the University of Alberta, noting that seasonal workers in the sector are often the hardest hit as they have few protections during a bad season or amid a cataclysmic fire.

Tourism contributed C$7.2 billion to the British Columbia economy in 2022, and C$9.9 billion to Alberta in 2023, according to the latest government data.

Jasper National Park is one of Canada's premier tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors a year flocking to see its pristine mountain landscapes and abundant wildlife, including grizzly bears, moose and elk.

Kelly Torrens, vice-president of product at international tour company Kensington Tours, described western Canada as a bucket-list destination. But the company now has 49 trips that were supposed to pass through Jasper this season in limbo. Six others were forced to evacuate the park when the fire hit.

Parks Canada has cancelled all camping reservations within Jasper National Park until Aug. 6 and with potentially 50% of the town's structures destroyed by fire, the cleanup and rebuild could take years.

Halpenny is among those hedging their bets.

"I've booked a campsite stay in the mountain parks but at the same time, I booked a campsite out on the prairie somewhere and that's my backup plan because I don't want to miss out on my vacation with my family."