RIYADH, 8 January — Poland wants Saudi Arabia to act as an intermediary in promoting its exports to Africa, where it has been experiencing some difficulties.
The suggestion has been well received at the Saudi Ministry of Commerce, according to Maciej Demidow, leader of a seven-member Polish trade delegation currently visiting the Kingdom. The multi-sector trade mission, the third in two years, is on a five-day visit that will also take them to Jeddah on identifying trade and investment opportunities between the two countries.
During their stay in the capital, the delegates had talks with Deputy Minister of Commerce Abdullah Al-Hamoud, Assistant Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Industry and Electricity Mohammed Amin Sindhi, and Secretary-General of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry Osama Al-Kurdi, in addition to bilateral meetings between Polish and Saudi businessmen.
Speaking at the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Demidow observed that the decision to go through the Kingdom for promoting Polish exports to Africa was taken for two reasons.
Saudi Arabia, he pointed out, has a good network of banks that already have commercial transactions in east Africa. Moreover, Saudis are doing business with their counterparts from that region.
He said the Polish side has explained to government officials and the Council of Saudi Chambers that Saudi businessmen could act as dealers for Polish companies in pushing their products to countries like Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. They had wrapped up similar arrangements with traders in the UAE with great success.
Pointing out that the bilateral trade had benefited Poland with a ten-fold growth in Polish exports to the Kingdom, Demidow attributed the trend to a lack of awareness about the Kingdom’s market in the Polish business community. The Saudi businessmen had also not done enough to market their products in Poland.
As a first step in this direction, a Saudi trade delegation will be invited to Warsaw to promote interaction between businessmen on both sides. The chamber of commerce in Warsaw will also organize an exhibition of Saudi industrial products as well as a seminar on investment opportunities in Poland. "Overseas investment in Poland exceeds $65 billion, but contribution from Saudi investors. The problem is mainly due to information gap on each country’s trade and investment potential," he said.
Speaking on behalf of the Polish Embassy, Dr. Stanislaw Smolen, charge d’affaires, said a Saudi-Polish Joint Commission will be set up once the two countries sign a general agreement on economic cooperation later this year. The chambers of commerce on both sides have already established a Saudi-Polish Business Council to promote bilateral trade.
