RIYADH, 10 February 2006 — Saudi Arabia and Ireland will explore the possibilities of closer cooperation in the field of higher education.
The issue is expected to dominate during Ireland President Mary McAleese’s talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah next week. McAleese will be a key speaker at the Jeddah Economic Forum on Feb. 12.
“It’s the first time ever that the president of Ireland will be visiting Saudi Arabia,” Ireland’s Ambassador Tom Russell told Arab News.
During her meeting with Abdullah, McAleese will discuss bilateral relations, including the scope for cooperation in the field of higher education. She will also make a courtesy call on Riyadh Governor Prince Salman.
As crown prince, Abdullah visited Ireland in 1988. Relations between the two countries have been confined mostly to trade and, to some extent, education.
Currently, only 30 Saudi students are pursuing higher education in Ireland in addition to several hundred others engaged in postgraduate studies or short-term courses in subjects, including English and computer science.
The Irish president will also explore the possibility of the Kingdom establishing its diplomatic mission in Dublin. Russell said Saudi Arabia has agreed in principle to open its embassy in the Irish capital. At present, the Saudi ambassador to Britain is accredited concurrently as the Kingdom’s ambassador to Ireland.
The ambassador said President McAleese would be leading a 16-member delegation consisting of representatives from universities, the telecommunications industry, consultancy and financial services, IT, electrical engineering, aviation, food and agricultural sectors. The delegates will attend a business breakfast, to which Saudi businessmen and other officials would be invited.
Bilateral trade has remained constant at $360 million during the last few years. While food items are the major items of export to the Kingdom, other foreign-exchange earners for Ireland include pharmaceuticals.
The ambassador said the ban on the import of Irish beef that began in 2002 due to the mad cow disease scare is still in effect. He, however, said the embassy had organized a visit of officials from the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture to Dublin to let them see for themselves the modern farming practices in that country, whose beef products continue to be exported to the EU countries and to Russia and North Africa.
“Some representatives of the Irish beef industry are expected to meet officials of the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture to put up Ireland’s case for lifting the ban,” Russell said.
McAleese, an experienced journalist, has a longstanding interest in many issues concerned with justice, equality, anti-sectarianism and reconciliation. The theme of her presidency is “Building Bridges.”
