The General Secretariat of the Federation of GCC Chambers and the Council of Saudi Chambers are organizing the second edition of the “Gulf Economic Forum,” which will take place in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Sunday and Monday, 12–13 Safar 1440 AH, corresponding to October 21–22, 2018, under the patronage of Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, Minister of Commerce and Investment, and with broad participation from government officials, business owners, and economic leaders from the Gulf states.
On this occasion, Mohammed Thani Murshid Al-Rumaithi, President of the Federation of Gulf Chambers of Commerce, stated that the Gulf Economic Forum comes in the context of efforts being made by governments and the private sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to strengthen economic cooperation, noting that the forum’s agenda will include exploring opportunities for economic integration, reviewing available and potential investment opportunities in the GCC countries, as well as how to leverage the comparative advantages of GCC countries to achieve cooperation based on quality improvement and positive competition to enhance Gulf products, with a focus on the role of the Gulf Customs Union, logistics services, their impact, and their role in Gulf trade.
Al-Rumaithi added that the forum will be attended by a large number of Their Excellencies the ministers and high-level Gulf officials from the investment, customs, capital markets, trade, and other economic sectors, which he said will give significant momentum to the forum’s activities and contribute to the adoption of effective decisions and recommendations that support joint Gulf economic efforts. In this context, he commended the support of the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council —may God protect them—and their commitment to involving the Gulf private sector in laws and decisions related to economic affairs. He called for leveraging this support and political will to improve and develop the business environment in the Gulf states and to enhance intra-Gulf trade and joint investments.
