RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Sweden are interested in cooperating with each other in the fields of education and research to benefit Saudi youths, said Swedish Ambassador Jan Thesleff.
Thesleff was speaking at a press conference held during the weekend at his residence to felicitate two Saudi students who are going to Sweden for higher studies in engineering. The two students are going as part of a maiden scholarship program funded by the engineering company Asea Brown Boveri (ABB).
“The higher education scholarship program is fully funded by ABB Saudi Arabia and approved by the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education,” said Thesleff, adding that the objective of the program is to provide quality higher education to distinguished Saudi engineering students and working engineering professionals. The scholarship program is administered by ABB Saudi Arabia in collaboration with the Swedish Embassy in Riyadh.
The press conference was also attended by Mahmoud Shaban, ABB Saudi Arabia’s chief executive officer, and Zaid Al-Rumaihi, ABB Saudi Arabia’s human resources manager. “Swedish-Saudi relations are long-standing and solid. Our cooperation has been further widened in the past few years,” said Thesleff, adding that bilateral trade is expected to exceed SR4.8 billion this year.
He indicated that the scholarship program would pave the way for Saudi engineers to open a new path for academic exchange, research and development in technology and knowledge transfer between the two countries.
Al-Rumaihi said that some 1,600 applications were received for the program and that seven suitable candidates were selected. Five opted to work for ABB in the Kingdom and two, who were at the ceremony, would pursue their education in Sweden. The two students who will go to Sweden are Hashem Jaber and Badr ibn Salamah, electric engineering graduates.
Al-Rumaihi said this is the first group of Saudi students to be sent to Sweden and that they will commence studies next week. He added that ABB had already called for applications from Saudi students for next year’s program.
