OREANDA-NEWS. September 26, 2014. Saudi Aramco proved to be a major draw at “Invest Saudi,” an investment forum hosted by the Saudi Arabia General Investment Authority (SAGIA) in Paris.

The forum immediately followed the Saudi-French Council’s 34th annual meeting, which was marked by the attendance of HRH Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. The Prince addressed an auditorium consisting of more than 300 leaders from France’s business community, including oil and gas companies.

Prince Salman, who was on an official visit to the French capital, was joined by other notable speakers, including: Abdulrahman Al-Zamil, chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers; HE Tawfiq Fawzan Al-Rabiah, Minister of Commerce and Industry; and HE Abdullatif Al-Othman, Governor of SAGIA.

French involvement in discussions came chiefly from Thomas Thevenoud, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and Thierry Courtaigne, CEO of MEDEF (Movement of the Enterprises of France), France’s largest union of employers, who moderated the sessions.

Meanwhile, Saudi Aramco was represented by Nasser Al-Yami, manager of the Industrial Development Department, who spoke during a session on energy opportunities highlighting Saudi’s impending growth and the challenges that come along with it. “We at Saudi Aramco realize that the only way to meet these challenges is to partner with our strategic suppliers, industry leaders and technology providers. We are very proud of the collaboration that has already materialized between the Saudi business community and France,” he said.

Indeed, off the back of a successful initiation of Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical Company (SATORP) — a partnership between Saudi Aramco and France’s Total, which was mentioned on several occasions — there was a strong sense that Saudi-French commercial ties could be extended even further, even beyond oil and gas, to areas such as transportation and health care.

At the subsequent exhibition, visitors had the chance to liaise with counterparts from across the Kingdom’s business landscape, including Saudi Aramco. Delegates visiting the company included many of the aforementioned, including Al-Othman, who during the morning conference underlined the Kingdom’s credentials.

Paris is the second stop this year for SAGIA and its drive for foreign investment, following a similar event it hosted during spring in Central London, where Saudi Aramco also showed its support.