JEDDAH, 2 June 2003 — A Canadian diplomat said yesterday that his country’s new joint venture investments and exports suffered because of Saudi Arabia’s current entry ban on certain nationals.
“While we appreciate the Kingdom’s concern for visitors coming from countries declared SARS-affected — and our country is one of them — we expect the ban to be lifted soon,” Rene-Francois Desamore, minister-counselor at the Canadian Embassy in Riyadh, said.
Asked about the losses, he commented: “They are difficult to estimate but not significant.”
He was speaking to Arab News at a three-day catalog show by 300 Canadian companies at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The exhibition featuring catalog and promotional material of Canadian companies representing a wide variety of businesses, is designed to build upon the success of many companies that are already active in the region.
Asked about Canada’s current immigration policy, Desamore said: “The country is trying to get one percent of its 30 million population annually as immigrants. We’ve not been able to reach the targeted 300,000 in the past few years. We’re looking for immigrants with a university education.”
