The roundtable discussions within the Saudi-Canadian Forum kicked off in Jeddah, attended by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and a high-level delegation representing both the public and private sectors. This step aims to strengthen economic and investment partnerships between the two countries and expand cooperation horizons in priority sectors.

The forum aims to bolster investment and trade relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Canada, with expectations of signing more than 13 agreements and memorandums of understanding valued at over $1 billion, thereby supporting economic exchange growth and enhancing joint investment opportunities.

The roundtable saw broad participation from over 30 major Canadian companies, with discussions focusing on exploring and activating cooperation opportunities and strategic partnerships in several vital sectors, most notably financial services, mining and advanced industries, artificial intelligence and data centers, as well as health, education, energy, and infrastructure.

The Saudi-Canadian Investment Forum is being held on the sidelines of the Canadian Prime Minister's visit to the Kingdom, where he is expected to hold talks with His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to discuss ways to enhance bilateral relations and expand areas of economic and investment cooperation between the two countries.

According to Al Arabiya, the participating Canadian companies aim to capitalize on the opportunities offered by major development projects in the Kingdom, particularly infrastructure projects related to hosting the 2034 World Cup and Expo 2030, thereby strengthening their presence in the Saudi market and supporting shared economic development goals.

Separately, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef met today (Thursday) with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of his official visit to the Kingdom. The meeting reviewed opportunities to enhance industrial and mining cooperation and expand investment partnerships between the two countries, in addition to discussing ways to develop cooperation in advanced industries, contributing to achieving common interests.

The meeting praised the qualitative investments of Canadian companies in mining exploration projects in the Kingdom and their prominent presence in the Saudi mining sector. Both sides also looked forward to expanding the horizons of strategic partnership in the mining and minerals sector, supporting the economic development goals of the two friendly countries.