RIYADH, 22 January — A trade mission, organized by the Spanish Association of Scientific, Medical, Technical and Dental Equipment Manufacturers (FENIN), has arrived here. The delegation is one of seven business missions Madrid is planning to send to the Gulf states during the first half of this year.
Isaac Martin-Barbero, economic and commercial counselor at Spanish Embassy, has said that the mission is composed of 10 leading Spanish companies and export groups representing scientific, technical and medical sectors. The delegation is headed by Jorge Alejandro Cisneros, FENIN's foreign trade representative.
He said "cultural and historical links" between Saudi Arabia and Spain were translating nowadays into broader and deeper ties. The number Spanish trade delegations to the Gulf countries planned this year "shows the tremendous interest of Spanish companies in this stable and increasingly prosperous region", he added.
Martin-Barbero said the Spanish exports to Saudi Arabia totaled $638 million in 1999 compared to $620 million a year earlier. After five years of continuous export growth, Madrid is now the fifth largest exporter of the European Union to the Kingdom behind the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy. Spanish imports from Saudi Arabia exceeded $638 million in 1999.
Martin-Barbero said the Spanish imports from the Kingdom declined by 17 percent in 1999 due to low oil prices. Spain, however, is the 10th largest importing country for Saudi products including oil. The main Spanish exports to Saudi Arabia are telephone equipment, ceramic tiles, furniture, children's wear, preserved vegetables, footwear, tires and iron/steel profiles in addition to olive oil.
Martin-Barbero said FENIN was formed by specialized Spanish companies in the health care sector. The overall exports in the sector improved by 20 percent in 1999.
"Shared views and concerns about health and living standards make Spanish products especially suitable for the Saudi public," said the diplomat. The trade team, which will also visit Jeddah during its five-day stay in the Kingdom, will meet Saudi importers interested in Spanish products.
