RIYADH, 16 September — Saudi Arabia and Canada will hold talks on a range of issues, especially those related to trade and commerce, in early November when Canadian Deputy Minister for International Trade Len Edwards is expected to visit the Kingdom.
The Canadian minister will stop over in the Kingdom during a trip to Qatar to attend the World Trade Organization meeting there, Canadian Ambassador Melvyn L. MacDonald told a press conference yesterday.
The visit comes on the heels of a trip last week by a special envoy of Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.
Bill Graham, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committee of Canada’s House of Commons, called on Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, and delivered to him a message from Prime Minister Chretien.
MacDonald said Riyadh and Ottawa, two traditional allies, have forged closer relations on the commercial front. Two-way trade has been in the region of two billion Canadian dollars, said the diplomat, adding that Canadian exports to the Kingdom comprised a mix of technology, resources and services. The Kingdom, on the other hand, exports mainly oil and organic materials to Canada.
He said a Saudi-Canadian Joint Economic Commission meeting scheduled for early next year is expected to further boost the bilateral ties.
A Canadian trade mission will visit Saudi Arabia next January to explore ways to improve commercial relations, the diplomat said.
A Canadian company, SR Telecom, recently won a five-year supply and services contract for wireless telecom equipment worth 100 million Canadian dollars from the Saudi Telecom Company.
MacDonald said more than 1,000 Saudis travel annually to four Canadian cities — Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Calgary — for leisure and entertainment.
The tourism and business relations between the two countries will get another boost as a Gulf airline is to start direct flights to Canada soon. The air link will ensure added safety and comfort for Saudis, who do not require visas to enter Canada.
