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Headed by His Excellency the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil, the Kuwaiti-Saudi Coordination Committee holds its second meeting in Riyadh

11-12-2024

• Reviewing the latest developments in the work of the committee, represented by 14 initiatives and 4 memoranda of understanding ready for signing, and adding 5 new initiatives to increase the pace of work Dr. Nasser bin Al-Humaidi Al-Dosari: Continuing cooperation between the two sides and activating the role of initiatives, memoranda of understanding and agreements Sheikh Dr. Nimr Fahd Al-Malik Al-Sabah: Significant progress in the work of the committee and the initiatives emanating from it to enhance relations between the two countries The Coordination Committee in the fields of energy, economy, trade and industry of the Saudi-Kuwaiti Coordination Council held its second meeting in Riyadh today, Wednesday, December 11, 2024, where the Kuwaiti side of the committee was headed by His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Nimr bin Fahd Al-Malik Al-Sabah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil, and the Saudi side of the committee was headed by His Excellency Dr. Nasser bin Al-Humaidi Al-Dosari, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy for International Relations and Cooperation, as the meeting came within the framework of the fraternal ties between the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the bilateral relations and common interests that bind the two brotherly countries. The Ministry of Oil said in a press statement that the committee members from both sides reviewed the most prominent achievements and latest developments that were agreed upon in the work of the first meeting of the committee, which was held in Kuwait on May 28, 2023, which included 14 initiatives in the fields of energy, trade, industry, customs, civil aviation and food, in addition to 4 memoranda of understanding ready for signing. At the beginning of the meeting, His Excellency Dr. Nasser bin Al-Humaidi Al-Dosari welcomed His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Nimr Fahd Al-Malik Al-Sabah and his accompanying delegation, and praised the progress made in the work of the Coordination Committee in the fields of energy, economy, trade and industry, and His Excellency stressed the importance of continuing cooperation between the two sides and activating the role of initiatives, memoranda of understanding and agreements emanating from the committee. His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Nimr bin Fahd Al-Malik Al-Sabah expressed his gratitude for the welcome and hospitality received by the Kuwaiti delegation during their visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and stressed his interest in strengthening relations between the two brotherly countries through the work of the committee and the initiatives emanating from it. Memoranda of Understanding The Ministry of Oil stated that the four memoranda of understanding are: First: A draft memorandum of understanding in the field of economy and planning between the Ministry of Economy and Planning in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development in the State of Kuwait, Second: A draft memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Commerce in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in the State of Kuwait for cooperation in the field of commercial control and consumer protection, Third: A draft memorandum of understanding between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the State of Kuwait in the field of export development, Fourth: A draft memorandum of cooperation between the General Authority for Competition in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Competition Protection Authority in the State of Kuwait in the field of competition protection. The Ministry of Oil revealed that the two sides agreed during the second meeting to add 5 new initiatives to increase the pace of the committee's work, which are as follows: The initiative to sustain and secure supply chains and develop opportunities in the public and private sectors to support the development of various energy sectors in the two countries, the initiative to exchange expertise in the field of localizing (Kuwaitization - Saudization) jobs related to energy sectors, the regional cooperation initiative for the circular carbon economy, the initiative to exchange expertise and knowledge in the field of clean hydrogen, and the unified security point initiative between the two countries. Cooperation in the field of energy The Ministry of Oil stated that the most prominent achievements and latest developments in the work of the committee, specifically in the field of energy, the two sides agreed to enhance cooperation between the two countries in various energy fields such as oil and gas, electricity, renewable energy and energy efficiency. During the past period, the formation of technical working teams was completed, several workshops and bilateral meetings were held, and the scopes of cooperation were determined to activate the initiatives emanating from the committee. The Kingdom's pioneering experience in the smart meter project was also presented. In the areas of cooperation in the field of trade, the two sides agreed to enhance trade relations between the two countries, as the challenges facing trade exchange between the two brotherly countries were completed and classified according to specialization such as commercial, industrial, and food. The working teams from both sides will also be reconstituted to address the challenges, and liaison officers from the relevant authorities will be identified. Within the framework of cooperation in the field of trade, the two sides are keen to sponsor and develop small and medium enterprises in the commercial and investment fields, and exchange experiences and experiments related to business incubators and accelerators, with the aim of enhancing the small and medium enterprises sector for the best global practices and supporting and developing it. In the field of industry cooperation, the Ministry of Oil stated that the two sides agreed to enhance the industrial sector and achieve integration in supply chains between the two countries, as the formation of technical working groups was completed, several workshops and bilateral meetings were held, and the scopes of cooperation were determined to activate the initiatives emanating from the committee. Among the cooperation in the field of industry is discussing the challenges facing Kuwaiti industrial establishments in implementing the provisions of the national rules of origin, and providing clarifications and proposed solutions for their implementation. The cooperation also aims to implement the decision of the Industrial Cooperation Committee to adopt the Future Factories Program and the applications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by the GCC countries as a guide, by the GCC countries starting to build the program model and activate it in industrial establishments to enable them to transform their reliance on intensive and low-skilled labor to automation and the application of advanced industrial solutions and practices. The two sides also agreed to cooperate in the customs field, as the electronic land link between the customs in the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was completed, which contributes to supporting the objectives of facilitating trade and achieving the smooth flow of goods between the two countries, as this step embodies the existing economic cooperation and integration, and consolidates the principle of partnership between the customs of the two countries, in addition to its major role in enhancing inter-trade and raising the level of trade exchange; which will achieve a clear positive impact during the next stage in terms of facilitating trade. As for cooperation in the field of civil aviation, the Ministry of Oil stated that the two sides agreed to enhance the exchange of expertise and knowledge between the two countries in the field of cybersecurity for the aviation security sector, and the two sides are working to discuss ways to join the cooperative program for aviation security in the Middle East region, which in turn contributes to the exchange of expertise between the countries participating in the program, and to establish a joint framework for the civil aviation sector in the two countries, as working groups were formed to discuss the upcoming procedures for joining, and the two sides are also working to exchange expertise and use alternative energy in the field of airports, and hold periodic meetings to follow up on initiatives and ways to implement them alternately between the two sides, and the Saudi side invited its Kuwaiti counterpart to visit the Kingdom and hold meetings between technicians during the first quarter of 2025. In cooperation in the field of food, the Ministry of Oil indicated that the Kuwaiti side, represented by the General Authority for Food, expressed its desire to solve the challenges related to the export of food products between the two countries, and the Saudi side, represented by the General Authority for Food and Drug, expressed its welcome to coordinate with the Kuwaiti side in this regard.