The outgoing Australian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Neil Hawkins, has praised the hospitality of Saudi Arabia, noting that he was very proud of the four years he spent in the Kingdom as the Australian envoy.

Hawkins made this comment during his recent visit to the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) on Tuesday, where he met with JCCI Deputy Secretary General Mohiuddin Hakami before leaving the Kingdom following the completion of his term as ambassador in the Kingdom. Hawkins was previously ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, Bahrain and Yemen.

Hawkins was also a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and, until recently, was the Assistant Secretary at the Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe Branch, a position he has held since 2010. Prior to joining DFAT in 2008, Hawkins worked with the Office of National Assessments (2004-08) and AusAID (2002-04).

He has also served with the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (1994-96) and with CARE Australia in Cambodia and Burma (1998-2001).

Hawkins holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, and a Master of International Business from Murdoch University in Western Australia, and speaks fluent Arabic.

Mohiuddin Hakami commented that Hawkins was one of the most prominent foreign diplomats in the Kingdom, who has created an excellent relationship with the JCCI and has played an important role over the past four years for the promotion of the relationship between the two countries, and in the intensification of mutual visits of business owners in the two countries to explore investment opportunities.

He pointed out that Australia has natural abilities in large investment projects to do with agricultural development, technical projects, technological equipment and education programs.

“Australia is a safe and ideal place for investment and Saudi investors as a result have large investments in this area, which helps the Kingdom to represent a major economic center for investors and traders in Gulf, Arab and international region,” he said.

Hawkins said he was proud of the period that he had spent in the region where the hospitality of Saudi Arabia had impressed him, and where he had made lot of Saudi friends. Hawkins expressed his desire for the continued support of trade with the Kingdom.

He added that there are almost 39 joint projects between the Kingdom and Australia.