Saudi Arabia Plans to Unify Strategy of Saudi-Foreign Business Councils

Deserted streets in the coastal city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during the coronavirus pandemic. (AFP)
Deserted streets in the coastal city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during the coronavirus pandemic. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia Plans to Unify Strategy of Saudi-Foreign Business Councils

Deserted streets in the coastal city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during the coronavirus pandemic. (AFP)
Deserted streets in the coastal city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during the coronavirus pandemic. (AFP)

Business leaders have welcomed Saudi efforts to implement fundamental changes to the regulations of joint business councils with the aim of boosting their role in the future.

The aspired changes seek to enable the councils to overcome the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic and strengthen their capacity to hold successful commercial partnerships and achieve the goals of Vision 2030.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dr. Kamel Al-Munajjed, Chairman of the Saudi Indian Business Council, said: “The General Authority for Foreign Trade is working to develop the regulations of Saudi foreign business councils in order to keep abreast of developments after the coronavirus pandemic and to accelerate successful commercial partnerships to increase the private sector’s contribution to foreign trade.”

According to Al-Munajjed, one of the most important problems that the joint business councils faced over the past years was the lack of a unified strategy and the absence of unified standards for measuring performance.

He stressed that the development of regulations to overcome the aforementioned obstacles would give a great impetus to the work of the joint councils in contributing to the development of foreign trade and achieving many goals in Vision 2030.

For his part, Mohammed Al-Hammadi - a member of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and former head of a joint Saudi business council - underlined the importance of the planned move by the Ministry of Commerce and the General Authority for Foreign Trade regarding developing a work regulation for Saudi foreign business councils to keep pace with the post-pandemic period.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Hammadi expected that the new regulations would greatly contribute to the development of Saudi foreign relations on the economic, commercial and investment levels.



OPEC+ Credits Voluntary Oil Cuts for Market Stability

The OPEC logo behind a model of an oil excavator. (Reuters)
The OPEC logo behind a model of an oil excavator. (Reuters)
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OPEC+ Credits Voluntary Oil Cuts for Market Stability

The OPEC logo behind a model of an oil excavator. (Reuters)
The OPEC logo behind a model of an oil excavator. (Reuters)

The OPEC+ Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) commended the additional voluntary oil production cuts implemented by eight member states, saying the move played a key role in supporting market stability.

During its 59th meeting, held virtually on Saturday, the alliance opted to keep its current oil output policy unchanged, while underscoring the importance of full compliance with production quotas.

A statement published on the official website of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) confirmed that OPEC+ members showed “a high level of commitment” to crude production targets during January and February 2025.

The committee reviewed production figures for those months and noted general compliance among both OPEC and non-OPEC signatories to the Declaration of Cooperation. However, it also singled out countries that failed to meet their quotas and stressed the need for full compliance and compensation for any overproduction.

Member states were urged to submit updated compensation plans to the OPEC Secretariat by April 15.

The committee reiterated its commitment to monitoring adherence to the production adjustments agreed at the 38th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting in December 2024, as well as the additional voluntary cuts announced during the 52nd JMMC session in February 2024.

The JMMC retains the authority to call additional meetings or request a full ministerial session if needed.

The next JMMC meeting is scheduled for May 28. The body, which includes oil ministers from Saudi Arabia, Russia, and other top producers, typically meets every two months and may recommend policy changes.

Separately, eight OPEC+ countries announced on Thursday that they would accelerate the easing of production cuts by increasing output by 411,000 barrels per day in May—more than triple the previously planned 135,000 barrels.