RIYADH: A workshop held in the Saudi capital has discussed the country’s plan to adopt a global customs transit system.
A delegation from the International Road Transport Union (IRU) attended the workshop, which was held in Riyadh and hosted by the Saudi Customs.
“The workshop was held in connection with the decision of the Kingdom to accede to and implement the global transit system for moving goods across regional and international borders expected in 2017,” Rani Wehbe, IRU senior adviser for the Middle East, told Arab News by phone from Beirut on Friday.
Wehbe also said that Umberto de Pretto, secretary-general, led the IRU delegation that visited the Kingdom and attended the workshop. Wehbe was also with the delegation.
Present in 100 countries, the IRU leads solutions to help the world move better, supporting trade, economic growth, job safety, the environment and communities.
De Pretto said in a statement that the “workshop demonstrates the seriousness with which the Saudi Customs approaches accession to TIR.” TIR, which stands for Transport Internationaux Routier, is the world’s only global customs transit system.
He added that the IRU is highly motivated to facilitate knowledge-sharing and to help generate a clear understanding of the TIR system.
He also said that “our aim is to communicate its simplicity, efficacy and compelling capability to transform the region’s trade potential.”
The statement also quoted Saudi Customs Director General Ahmed Al-Hakbani as saying that the Kingdom is one of the most important transit countries in the region and confirmed the decision to begin TIR implementation this year.
Wehbe said that the workshop offered insights and guidance on the application of the TIR system to improve trade facilitation.
“The system is a very important tool for implementing the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) which came into force in February 2017. The Kingdom had previously ratified the TFA in August 2016,” he said.
He added that the workshop also provided awareness and highlighted the key benefits of the system for Saudi Arabia among the pertinent stakeholders.
“It also discussed the practical aspects of accession and implementation,” Wehbe said.
The participants in the workshop unanimously acknowledged the advantages and benefits of the TIR, gaining an understanding of how Saudi Arabia’s accession and implementation of the TIR Convention will facilitate trade in a secure manner through seamless intermodal transit connectivity.
The IRU has since 1949 been mandated by the UN Economic Commission for Europe to manage the TIR system.
Saudi Arabia on road to implementing customs transit system
Saudi Arabia on road to implementing customs transit system
Kingdom key player in regional peace, EU official says
- Hana Jalloul Muro highlights Riyadh’s role in regional stability, economic growth and advancing EU-Saudi strategic ties
Riyadh: Hana Jalloul Muro, vice-chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, has praised Saudi Arabia’s role as a “reliable partner” to the EU.
Describing the Kingdom as a “key international actor,” she highlighted its pivotal role in regional stability, including brokering peace talks on Ukraine, promoting peace in Palestine, and supporting stable governments in Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic.
“Saudi is a reliable partner because it is a country that has demonstrated that with Vision 2030, only in the last five, six years, it has changed impressively. It has a major women’s labor force, a very low youth unemployment rate and is growing very fast,” Muro told Arab News.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, she added: “Saudi Arabia is becoming a key major player in the international arena now — for peace conversations on Ukraine, supporting the Syrian government, paying Syria’s external debt, stabilizing the government in Lebanon, promoting peace in Gaza, in Palestine and pushing for a ceasefire, too.
“So, I think it is a very key international actor, very important in the region for stability,” Muro added.
Explaining why she considers the Kingdom a reliable partner, Muro said: “It’s a country that knows how to see to the East and to the West.”
Muro also serves as the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Saudi Arabia, and is responsible for drafting reports on legislative and budgetary proposals and other key bilateral issues.
In mid-December 2025, the European Parliament endorsed a road map to elevate EU-Saudi relations into a full-fledged strategic partnership, which Saudi Ambassador to the EU Haifa Al-Jedea described as “an important milestone” in bilateral ties.
The report highlighted the possibility of Saudi-EU visa-free travel, reaffirming the EU’s commitment to advancing a safe, mutually beneficial visa-free arrangement with the five GCC countries to ensure equal treatment under the new EU visa strategy.
“One of the key hot topics is the visa waiver to Saudi Arabia, which I always support,” Muro said. “Saudi Arabia has, as you are aware, been in cascade for five years, and I think we need to work toward a visa waiver.”
The report also highlighted the economic significance of Saudi tourists to EU member states, particularly for the hospitality, retail and cultural sectors, while emphasizing that Saudi citizens do not pose a source of irregular migration pressure.
When asked about the status of the visa waiver, Muro said: “The approval, it is the recommendation to the commission to take into account its importance. We need to advance on that because we are in the framework of this strategic partnership agreement that covers many topics, so this is why the visa waiver is a central key issue.”
She added: “I think by now we recognize the international role of Saudi Arabia and how important it is to us as a neighbor — not only for security, counter-terrorism and energy, but for everything. We need to get closer to partners like the GCC, Saudi specifically.
“And I think that we need to take Saudi Arabia as a very big ally of ours,” Muro said.
During her time in Riyadh, Muro took part in a panel at the forum focused on the EU-KSA business and investment dialogue, and advancing the critical raw materials value chain.
On the sidelines, she met Saudi Vice Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji to discuss ways to further strengthen Saudi-EU relations.
She also met Hala Al-Tuwaijri, chairwoman of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, saying: “I have to congratulate you and the government, your country, on doing a great job.”
