JEDDAH, 16 July 2004 — France has said it is “immensely impressed” by the elaborate security arrangements made for expats across Saudi Arabia.
“We want to thank the foreign affairs and interior ministries for providing security to French expats and other residents across the Kingdom,” French Consul General Jean Wiet said on Wednesday night.
“In fact, political, economic and cultural relations between the two countries are currently at their best,” Wiet said in his address during his country’s national day celebration at his residence. A large number of guests including officials, diplomats, businessmen and some of 1,600 local French expats were present.
Despite the recent incidents, the French community is confident and has no intention of leaving the Kingdom. This is evident from the French school’s decision to resume its academic session after the current vacation season in September.
Aside from a regular exchange of messages between the heads of the two countries, recent ministerial meetings have contributed toward strengthening the bonds of friendship, Wiet said. There was also a ministerial trade team visit the Kingdom in May that has since paved the way for further expansion of bilateral commercial relations.
“Bilateral trade ties are at their highest ever,” the consul general said, adding that the Kingdom today had representation of most of the top French brands. The Kingdom’s growing interest in French products and services is reinforced by the visit of a Saudi trade mission to Paris to participate in an upcoming international trade expo.
There has been a six percent increase in the number of visa seekers this vacation season. This follows the consulate’s efforts to “further streamline and improve” the visa procedure. Many among the visa seekers are students who are visiting Paris and elsewhere in France to attend language courses in English and French, Wiet said.
There is a lot of scope for further expanding cultural and technical cooperation between the two countries. “We’re eyeing sectors like medicare, trade and education, especially language courses,” he said. Language courses offered by French universities exceed 200. A scholarship program was created from cooperation between King Abdul Aziz University and the French Ministry of Mining.
