The ties between Sweden and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia go a long way back in time. Relations are strong in all fields, but particularly close in the area of trade and investment. The Kingdom is in effect Sweden’s largest market and most important economic partner in the Middle East.
These close relations were further strengthened, deepened and expanded as a result of Crown Prince Abdullah’s important and highly successful visit to Sweden in 2001 and the visit to the Kingdom of Swedish Crown Princess Victoria this year.
The strong recovery in Saudi Arabia’s economy on the back of a period of high oil revenues makes this an ideal time for new ventures. Furthermore, changes toward greater openness in the Saudi economy are welcome and promising. I expect new opportunities will become available both for trade an investment, and also in sectors that were previously closed to foreign participation.
I am confident that this is the right time for businessmen and industrialists in our two countries to establish and renew contacts in one another’s markets.