JEDDAH: Minister of Commerce and Industry Tawfiq Al-Rabiah opened the 4th Omani Products Exhibition (OPEX) in Jeddah. Over 100 Omani firms are showcasing their products and services at the four-day event.
The inauguration was attended by Ali bin Masoud Al-Sunaidy, Oman’s minister of commerce and industry; Jomah bin Mubarak Al-Rashidi, Oman consul general in Jeddah; Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Secretary General Adnan Mandourah; and senior government officials and private sector representatives from Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Jeddah Center for Forums and Events is the venue of the exhibition, which aims to promote trade between Oman and Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Minister visited a number of stalls representing Omani companies showcasing their products from industries ranging from food and beverages, textiles and garments, minerals and metals, equipment and machinery, furniture, as well as paper, plastic, non-metallic, petrochemical, chemical, fabricated metal to recycled products.
Al-Rabiah said: “We enjoy a strong and long-standing relationship with the Omanis and we welcome their exhibition for the second time in Saudi Arabia. We hope such initiatives will further enhance our collaboration.”
Al-Sunaidy said statistics reveal that the volumes of imports and exports between Oman and Saudi Arabia increased in 2013 and 2014. He pointed out that OPEX is a perfect platform for Omani companies to promote their products and explore new horizons in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Rashidi stated that OPEX has come to the biggest market in the region and it is the ideal platform to promote Oman’s competitive products and services.
Ayman Al-Hosani, deputy chairman of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), and head of the organizing committee and chairman of the OPEX, said: “We are very proud of the success at the OPEX series and excited to see the outcome of this event in Jeddah. With so many companies participating, we are able to show the Saudi market a wide range of Omani products and services.”
Mandourah pointed out that Jeddah is an ideal destination for trade and finance and a global one for major exhibitions and conferences. “We are glad to host OPEX 2015 in Jeddah and hope to allow business networking and the opportunity to build stronger trade ties with Omani traders,” he added.
“We hope this exhibition will serve as a strategic investment opportunity and are optimistic the exhibition will achieve its objectives in realizing the joint interests of both countries,” said Zahoor Siddique, VP-exhibitions, Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions, which has organized the show.
Since its inception, the exhibition claims to have become an annual event that showcases the quality and competitiveness of Omani products currently being exported to more than 140 countries.
