PARIS, 23 June 2007 — The five-nation tour of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah will not only strengthen Saudi Arabia’s political ties with other countries but also bring much-needed foreign direct investment and advanced technology to the country, analysts and businessmen said.
King Abdullah is in France on the second leg of his European tour. He had fruitful talks with President Nicolas Sarkozy. The summit meeting is expected to open a new chapter in Saudi-French relations. The two leaders, who were meeting for the first time, also discussed the situations in Iran, Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip over lunch at the French presidential palace. They discussed major economic projects establishing “contact via one or more direct collaborations in order to review all of these large cooperation projects,” said presidential spokesman David Martinon.
Sarkozy “hopes that these projects will be beneficial to the two parties,” Martinon added, without elaborating.
Last year, France and Saudi Arabia signed two defense deals that could pave the way for Saudi purchases of French helicopters, submarines, tanks and possibly Rafale fighter jets.
According to a joint communiqué issued after the Paris meeting, Saudi Arabia and France were studying prospects of setting up a joint fund to finance scientific cooperation and launch new projects in the field. They have expressed their desire to sign an agreement for cooperation in higher education, training and research.
“The long-term agreement extending to several years will achieve major objectives,” the communiqué said. “It will also bring about substantial increase in the number of Saudi students being sent to France for higher studies and activate cooperation between research centers in the two countries,” it added.
Abdullah is due to head to Poland tomorrow before leaving for Egypt and Jordan between June 25 and June 28, according to Saudi diplomatic sources.
King Abdullah will be the first Saudi king to visit Poland. “King Abdullah has become a household name in Poland following the separation of the conjoined Polish twins Daria and Olga in a Riyadh hospital at his expense,” said Polish Ambassador Adam Kulach. “This magnanimity is gratefully acknowledged by every Pole. The king’s sympathy for the disadvantaged remains in the hearts of all Polish citizens.”
Abdullah will witness the signing of a series of agreements between the two countries. They include a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Health, agreement with the Ministry of Finance on the avoidance of double taxation, MOU between King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and the Polish Academy of Sciences, MOU between King Abdul Aziz Medical College for Health Sciences and Warsaw Medical Unit and an agreement for the exchange of students and scholars between Polish universities and the Ministry of Higher Education.
The Polish ambassador said that the third session of the Saudi-Polish Joint Business Council would also be held during the king’s visit. Businessmen from the two countries will explore new areas of cooperation in order to boost economic ties. Trade between the two countries was at $115 million during the first nine months of 2004. Polish exports to the Kingdom were valued at $75 million while its imports of petrochemical products, sheep skin and carpets were estimated at $40 million. Its exports to the Kingdom include steel, construction materials, glass, food and agricultural products.
