RIYADH, 29 March 2004 — The Right Honorable the Lord Mayor of London Alderman Robert Finch will arrive here today on a four-day visit to the Kingdom at the head of a delegation of businessmen.
During his visit to Jeddah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province, the Lord Mayor and his delegation will hold talks with senior Saudi officials. They will also attend a roundtable discussion on financial services at the National Commercial Bank’s headquarters in Jeddah.
On Tuesday, he will meet with Saudi businessmen at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and on the following day he will attend a luncheon at the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
On the eve of his visit, the Lord Mayor said: “Our strong ties are built on mutual friendship and respect, and are supported by extensive trading and investment links. Saudi Arabia is our largest trading and investment partners in the Middle East. I look forward to discussing many aspects of UK-Saudi business relations, and ways to strengthen them further.”
London is the largest banking center in Europe.
According to the British Embassy, there are about 150 Saudi-British joint ventures. British exports to the Kingdom were up 32 percent last year and reached nearly SR13 billion, while its imports from Saudi Arabia stood at SR5.45 billion. Britain accounts for half the Kingdom’s exports of non-oil goods to the EU.
More than 100,000 Saudis visit the UK each year, many for education and training.
