RIYADH, 4 May 2008 — The Kingdom was awarded the ISO 2000/9001 certificate by Turkey at a colorful ceremony held at the SASO headquarters here yesterday.
Minister of Commerce and Industry Abdullah Zainal Alireza, who is also the chairman of SASO (Saudi Arabian Standards Organization), received the certificate from Zafar Caglayan, Turkish minister of industries and trade, in the midst of a large gathering.
Presenting the certificate, the Turkish minister said that the standard preparations and laboratory tests at the SASO headquarters in Riyadh are processed with state-of-the-art facilities and services that simplify the procedures for trading of goods between the two countries. He indicated that issuance of the certificate would pave the way for accelerated growth in exports and imports to and from the Kingdom.
The bilateral trade between the two countries is estimated at $4 billion, which includes Turkish exports to the Kingdom to the value of $1.3 billion.
Speaking on the occasion, Alireza said that his organization has developed more than 11,000 standards specifications to ensure quality of products and help build confidence among the customers. “Qualitative improvement of the Saudi products will enable Saudi businessmen to sell their products to domestic and international markets easily.”
He added that setting up new standards will not only help protect consumer interests but also look after their health and safety standards
“Such measures will contribute to the development of quality standards of Arab industries, increase its competitiveness, and pave way for these industries to compete in the international arena,” he noted.
Alireza also pointed out that establishing unified Arab standards will become the first line of defense that will not only protect Arab consumers but also protect the economies of Arab countries. “The quickness to establish as many Arab standards as possible, as well as adopting the highest international standards of quality, is a must to comply with the needs of trade among Arab countries,” the minister added.
Alireza said by establishing unified standards, Arab governments would overcome obstacles that hinder inter-Arab trade in merchandises, commodities and services.
SASO Director General Nabil Mulla said Arab standards organizations would exert efforts to renew their strategies in the next five years to comply with the demands of the Organization for Free Arab Trade.
He mentioned that the Kingdom, represented by SASO, had signed agreements with several countries, such as Malaysia and Turkey, to protect the rights of consumers in the Kingdom and the respective countries, in addition to agreements that are to be signed between the Kingdom and other Arab countries this year.