DAMMAM, 10 June — A delegation representing seven Scottish companies visited the Eastern Province to explore opportunities in the resurgent oil and gas sector. The companies included specialist engineering firms, procurement consultants and equipment manufacturers.
Members of the delegation attended a reception hosted by the British mission, where they met around 50 representatives of private Saudi companies involved in the oil industry. Six of the companies were making their first visit to the Kingdom.
The managing director of a specialist engineering firm commented: “We were pleasantly surprised by Saudi Arabia. The business climate is excellent, and we have met some impressive potential partners. I have no doubt that we will do business here”.
All of the companies plan to visit the Kingdom again as soon as possible. The delegation was led by Dr. Abdul Hadi Fawzy, senior Middle East adviser at Scottish Trade International.
STI is the international trade development organization for Scotland, funded by the Scottish Parliament.
Along with Northern Ireland and Wales, Scotland now has its own parliamentary assembly with delegated authorities from the British Parliament in London. All three now have their own trade organizations, although British Trade International, under its Trade Partners UK and Invest UK brands, continues to provide trade services throughout the United Kingdom.
During the visit, Dr. Fawzy had talks with officials of the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry on developing links between the Eastern Province and Scotland. Dr. Fawzy noted that as centers of their respective oil industries, there was much scope for cooperation between the two. He hopes to lead another mission to Saudi Arabia next year, and possibly in November this year as well.
Dr. Fawzy passed the EPCCI details of the Offshore Europe oil show in Aberdeen, Scotland, from Sept. 5 to 8. He said it is the largest such exhibition outside the United States and a number of Saudi companies are planning to attend or exhibit.
