Economy minister Manuel Castro Almeida is visiting Saudi Arabia on Sunday and Monday, accompanied by more than 50 Portuguese companies from various sectors, with a view to strengthening economic relations between Lisbon and Riyadh, the government has announced.
At the end of a week where US President Trump unquestionably ‘rehabilitated’ the image of the kingdom’s Crown Prince (with the latter pledging almost a trillion dollars in US investments), Portugal is clearly wasting no time.
The agenda includes a Business and Investment Forum, in which the Castro Almeida will participate alongside his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim, and the 7th Portugal-Saudi Arabia Bilateral Joint Commission meeting.
During the trip, the minister for the economy and territorial cohesion will also meet with the deputy minister of industry and natural resources for industrial affairs, Khalil bin Ibrahim bin Salamah.
Castro Almeida’s trip will also take in a presentation of the Qiddiya Project, an entertainment and sports hub (which will include the future stadium and training centre of Al-Nassr, where Portuguese players Cristiano Ronaldo and João Félix play) as well as a visit to King Salman Park.
A showroom with 19 Portuguese brands from the home and jewellery sector will also be inaugurated during the visit, says Lusa – which follows a trip to Riyadh by foreign minister, Paulo Rangel last month during which he argued that Portugal and Saudi Arabia want to give “new impetus” to bilateral relations, particularly through investments in sectors such as renewable energy and construction.
source: LUSA
