??
Saudi Ambassador to Barbados, Abdulrahman Bin Abdulaziz Abanmy in discussion with Senator Maxine McClean during a courtesy call on??Tuesday at Foreign Affairs Headquarters. (A.Miller/BGIS)

This country has been invited to explore the possibility of developing bilateral agreements with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This call came from the Saudi Ambassador to Barbados, Abdulrahman Bin Abdulaziz Abanmy, during a courtesy call on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator Maxine McClean yesterday.?? He said he saw potential for tourism and commercial exchanges between the two nations.??

Expressing his delight at the organised and developed temperament of the island, the Saudi Arabian Ambassador encouraged the Government of Barbados to initiate proposals "in a way both countries could work together in the fields of commerce, tourism and energy".

In turn, Minister McClean welcomed the Ambassador and his delegation to the island, stating that she was looking forward to the strengthening of diplomatic relations and cooperation between Barbados and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. ??The Foreign Affairs Minister welcomed the invitation "to explore opportunities that would redound to the benefit of both countries".

While noting that there may be some obstacles initially, including the language barrier, VISA requirements and the lack of a Barbadian or Caribbean embassy in the Gulf region, he said they were not insurmountable.??

Minister McClean in agreement said: "We are looking at a mechanism to address the absence of an embassy and seek ways to encourage Saudi Arabians to come here".?? Noting that there was potential in the development of the island’s off-shore sector, trade, energy and tourism industries, she told the delegation that successive and current Governments of Barbados had invested heavily in education in an effort to build strong human resources.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter and possesses more than 25 per cent of the earth’s known oil reserves.??

In December 2007, Barbados formalised diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia through the signing of a protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Barbados and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

shamkoe.pile@barbados.gov.bb

Pin It on Pinterest