Patrick Simonnet, EU ambassador to Saudi Arabia, emphasized support for green economy strategies adopted by the Kingdom.
On Wednesday, a workshop organized by a European association in the Saudi capital focused on activating the role of European chambers of commerce in third markets. This is seen as a crucial step towards establishing the first European chamber of commerce in Riyadh.
According to Simonnet, the EU has established a strategic partnership with the Gulf to elevate their cooperation to new heights. He further remarked that this partnership has been instrumental in guiding their actions over the past year and will continue to do so in the future.
Highlighting their four goals, Simonnet noted that their strategy aims to achieve a higher level of political coordination between both sides.
The ambassador recalled how the visit of Charles Michel, President of the European Council, to Jeddah in September 2022 and his important meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was seen as a significant step in this direction.
The second goal of the strategy, according to Simonnet, is to enhance economic interaction to support economic strategies such as the European Green Deal and Saudi Vision 2030.
Simonnet pointed out that EU-Saudi ties are already strong, as Europe is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest economic partner and the largest source of foreign direct investment.
The envoy also highlighted that Riyadh plays a key role in the EU’s energy security.
However, there is still potential to do more and drive economic cooperation and exchange, especially in the fields of renewable energy and digital transformation, stressed Simonnet.
Simonnet made his remarks during the “Europe Day” reception hosted by the EU mission in Riyadh two days ago.
The event was attended by official and diplomatic figures, including Walid Al-Khuraiji, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Foreign Minister, and Jassim Al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
