Saudi-Turkish Trade Summit Set for Istanbul in October

A ferry crosses the Bosphorus on a cloudy morning a day after heavy rains in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (AP)
A ferry crosses the Bosphorus on a cloudy morning a day after heavy rains in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (AP)
TT

Saudi-Turkish Trade Summit Set for Istanbul in October

A ferry crosses the Bosphorus on a cloudy morning a day after heavy rains in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (AP)
A ferry crosses the Bosphorus on a cloudy morning a day after heavy rains in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (AP)

The Türkiye Exporters Assembly, in coordination with the Turkish Ministry of Commerce, is organizing a Saudi-Turkish trade summit scheduled to take place on October 8-12.

The summit will feature the participation of 70 members from Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Chamber of Commerce.

Deputy Chairman of the Assembly Ahmet Gulec has invited Turkish exporters to actively engage in this trade summit.

He highlighted that a delegation from the Assembly, representing 43 companies operating in various sectors such as food, non-ferrous metals, textiles, ready-made garments, chemicals, and furniture, had accompanied Turkish Minister of Commerce, Omer Bolat, during his visit to Riyadh in July 2022.

Bolat held meetings with 150 Saudi businessmen during his visit.

He also met with the Kingdom’s Commerce Minister Majid Al-Qasabi, Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih, Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Minister Majid Al-Hogail, and Industry and Mineral Wealth Minister Bandar AlKhorayef.

During a visit to Türkiye last month, Al-Hogail met with Bolat and held several other meetings with Turkish ministers and officials.

The Assembly, in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce, arranged visits to four different trade bodies in Riyadh, Al-Hogail said.

A delegation of Turkish businessmen had visited Riyadh on September 11-14, holding meetings with Saudi officials with the aim of enhancing bilateral trade. Multiple cooperation agreements were signed between the two parties.

In a statement on Saturday, the Assembly disclosed a fourfold increase in Turkish exports to Saudi Arabia in the past eight months compared to the same period last year, reaching a total of $1.6 billion.



Saudi Giga-project Diriyah Agrees Deals Worth $1 bln with European Firms, Says CEO

Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of the Diriyah Gate Authority reacts during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of the Diriyah Gate Authority reacts during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
TT

Saudi Giga-project Diriyah Agrees Deals Worth $1 bln with European Firms, Says CEO

Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of the Diriyah Gate Authority reacts during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of the Diriyah Gate Authority reacts during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo

Diriyah, one of Saudi Arabia's giga-projects, has agreed deals worth nearly $1 billion with European firms and is in talks to attract more foreign capital, its CEO said.

Diriyah, located at a UNESCO World Heritage site outside the capital Riyadh, has been backed by PIF investments worth a total of around 20 billion riyals ($5.33 billion) in 2023 and 2024, and should get 12 billion riyals more next year, its CEO said.

It has recently agreed deals worth nearly $1 billion in total with an Italian developer and a French company and is in talks with several foreign investors looking to buy equity stakes in hotels and other real estate developments, Jerry Inzerillo told Reuters in New York this week.

"There's a lot of interest from America, a lot of interest from every country," he said. "We'll work with any country that can deliver quality and stay on time."

Foreign investors have already bought stakes in several projects in Diriyah, said Inzerillo, with more to come.

"A lot of people can see that it's built, it's doable; it's no longer renderings, no longer 'you wait and see' ... So now we're seeing a big spike in interest in foreign investment".

Inzerillo said investment priorities have changed because of upcoming events such as the Expo 2030 world fair, which Riyadh last year won the right to host. But the pace and scope of the Saudi giga-projects have not been scaled back, he said.

"It's a realignment, a re-prioritization ... not a reduction," he added.