Saudi Arabia and Canada resume business council after 5-year hiatus

The Federation of Saudi Chambers has announced the resumption of its business council with Canada, ending a five-year hiatus, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) yesterday.

Mohammed Bin Nasser Al-Duleim has been appointed chairman of the Saudi-Canadian Business Council, with Abdullah Bin Salem Al-Yami and Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al-Ahmed as his deputies. Al-Duleim stated that the council aims to revive economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

اتحاد الغرف السعودية يعلن إعادة تفعيل نشاط مجلس الأعمال السعودي الكندي.

وانتخاب أ.محمد آل دليم رئيساً
وأ.عبدالله اليامي وم.عبدالله الأحمد نائبين للرئيس
وذلك للدورة الجديدة للمجلس 1445 – 1449#اتحاد_الغرف_السعودية pic.twitter.com/ij9mpaFHNk

— اتحاد الغرف السعودية (@CSC_SA) July 7, 2024

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia and Canada agreed to re-establish their joint business council, marking another step in the thawing of relations after resuming diplomatic ties the year before. The Federation of Saudi Chambers announced via a post on X that it signed a memorandum of understanding to create a joint Saudi-Canadian business council. This announcement was made in the presence of Canada’s Ambassador to Riyadh, Jean-Philippe Linteau.

This development follows a diplomatic spat in 2018 when the kingdom expelled the Canadian ambassador and froze new trade and investment after Canada called for the release of detained activists, which Riyadh viewed as interference in its internal affairs. The diplomatic rift led to a severe strain in bilateral relations, with Riyadh also recalling its own ambassador from Ottawa and suspending flights to and out of Toronto.

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