Saudi Arabia Praises Fruitful Cooperation with Bahrain to Stimulate National Industries

The flag of Saudi Arabia
The flag of Saudi Arabia
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Saudi Arabia Praises Fruitful Cooperation with Bahrain to Stimulate National Industries

The flag of Saudi Arabia
The flag of Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources and Chairman of the Local Content and Government Procurement Authority, Bandar Alkhorayef, praised Bahrain for its collaboration in opening registration for Saudi establishments wishing to register their products in Bahrain's In-Country Value Program, Takamul.

The program aims to enhance local content value and preference in government procurement.
The registration contributes to stimulating and empowering Saudi national industries within the framework of the distinguished relations between Arabia and Bahrain, and boosting the economic integration between the two countries.
He stressed that goods manufactured in Bahrain, which meet the requirements of the national origin rules issued by Ministerial Decision No. 3852, will be treated as Saudi national goods, thereby allowing them to benefit from local content preference mechanisms according to relevant regulations and requirements.
The minister noted that this approach aligns with the results of the third meeting of the Saudi-Bahraini Coordination Council, chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. This is in line with the strong and historic ties between the two countries and their people.
Alkhorayef pointed out that this step will contribute to enhancing trade exchange, stimulating national industry in both countries, providing more investment opportunities, attracting foreign investments, and enhancing the added value of national products. He praised the efforts of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in Bahrain to boost cooperation with Saudi Arabia in various fields, emphasizing the Kingdom's commitment to enhancing collaboration with Bahrain in all fields.



Rumors on Selling Egypt’s Airports Spread on Social Media

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during his recent visit to Borg El Arab Airport in Alexandria (Ministry of Aviation)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during his recent visit to Borg El Arab Airport in Alexandria (Ministry of Aviation)
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Rumors on Selling Egypt’s Airports Spread on Social Media

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during his recent visit to Borg El Arab Airport in Alexandria (Ministry of Aviation)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during his recent visit to Borg El Arab Airport in Alexandria (Ministry of Aviation)

Rumors spread on social media in Egypt amid claims that the country’s airports are being sold to foreign parties, prompting the cabinet to deny the reports on Saturday.
In an official statement on its Facebook page, Egypt’s government stressed that the goal is to “offer the management and operation of airports to the private sector.”
According to the Egyptian Council of Ministers, “Egyptian airports are fully owned by the state and subject to Egyptian sovereignty.”
It added that the state is implementing an integrated strategy based on raising the efficiency of airports and increasing their capacity, through a number of infrastructure development projects, as well as upgrading security systems and modernizing all security devices at Egyptian airports.
Additionally, the state is expanding flight networks by opening new markets and supporting low-cost aviation activities, the cabinet underlined in a statement.
Member of Parliament’s Tourism and Aviation Committee, MP Mohamed Taha Al-Khouly, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the government submitted a plan to Parliament last month to allow the private sector to provide some services inside airports.
This matter “will not happen randomly,” but within “an organized framework, and may require legal amendments regarding the controls regulating the private sector companies that will be present to provide some services at Egyptian airports,” he added.
According to the deputy, these services include receiving tourists, organizing the movement of taxis in the vicinity of airports, in addition to providing assistance services upon arrival, and other matters that do not directly or remotely affect Egyptian sovereignty over the airports.
Last month, the Central Bank of Egypt announced an increase in tourism sector revenues by 5.3 percent during the first 9 months of the 2023-2024 fiscal year, reaching $10.9 billion, compared to $10.3 billion in the same period of the previous year.
In 2023, Egypt received about 14.9 million tourists, an increase of 27 percent over 2022, according to a statement by the Egyptian Council of Ministers at the beginning of this year.