Spain and the Arab League agree to intensify business relations and move towards a strategic alliance
The Secretary General of the Union of Arab Chambers of Commerce, Khaled Hanafy, has pointed to the need to change the "mentality" that governs relations between Spain and the twenty-two countries that make up the Arab League, in order to evolve from a culture of "markets" to that of "strategic allies" in a context of global transformation. "I believe in the future and in all that Spain and the countries that make up the Arab League can do together. It is not only about exports and imports, but also about geopolitics and security", said the Secretary General of the Union of Arab Chambers of Commerce, while recalling that trade relations with Spain only represent, for the countries of the League, 2.1% of the total volume of exchanges.
Khaled Hanafy closed the Spain-Arab League business meeting, held on the occasion of his visit to Spain, at the headquarters of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and organised together with the Secretary of State for Trade through ICEX Spain Export and Investment, CEOE and the Mission of the League of Arab States in Madrid. Previously, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and the Union of Arab Chambers of Commerce have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with the aim of strengthening collaboration at all levels between the two organisations, as well as to start working to create an Arab Chamber of Commerce in Spain, which promotes and strengthens relations between Spanish companies and the Arab world.
The President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Bonet, also stressed the role of the Chambers of Commerce in bringing together the business communities of Spain and the countries of the Arab League, "we firmly believe that the relationship between Spain and the Arab world can only grow. I would like to reaffirm the commitment of our organisations in bringing the respective business communities closer together, and I would also like to highlight public-private collaboration as the most effective way to consolidate our economic ties". "The dual green and digital transition offers opportunities for business cooperation and investment in many interesting sectors such as energy, ICT, sustainable infrastructure, agri-food, water and sanitation, which we must take advantage of", explained the President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce.
Likewise, Hala Keyrouz, ambassador of Lebanon and dean of the Arab ambassadors in Spain, stressed that "geographically, Spain is the closest country to the countries that make up the Arab League, but we want to transfer this geographical proximity to a strategic proximity. We want to establish a new, more dynamic and intense relationship, one that is mutually beneficial, and one that promotes the development of the Arab world. Keyrouz pointed to the sectors that constitute "strong points for intensifying exchanges: digitalisation, ICTs, transport, health and energy". Malek Twal, Ambassador of the Arab League in Spain, added that Spain's relationship with the countries of the Arab League focuses on "four or five States. It is in these countries that the largest investments are made, while relations with the rest of the nations are practically insignificant. There are many areas and countries to discover and many sectors to invest in. We must broaden the spectrum of trade relations.
For her part, Alicia Varela, Director General for International Trade and Investment, also stressed that "the countries that make up the Arab League are of special importance for Spain, not only because of their commercial and economic interests, but also in terms of geopolitics and security". For the Director General for International Trade and Investment, "the Arab League is a group of countries with a series of unquestionable attractions: abundant natural resources, high population growth rates, changes in the production model, reformist agendas, as well as regional integration initiatives, which open up an important horizon of opportunities both for us and for them". According to the Director General for International Trade and Investment, there are numerous initiatives in priority areas of reform for the Arab League countries in which "our know-how could be useful to promote sustainable growth".
The President of CEOE International, Marta Blanco, highlighted the great representativeness of Spanish companies, which have carried out important projects in the region, and the growing bilateral trade and investment flows. She also underlined the complementarity of our economies, which has enabled the integration of the value chains of our countries in sectors such as the automobile and textile industries. On the other hand, he stressed that Spain presents great opportunities for collaboration within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan in digitalisation and green transition and that it represents a gateway to other regions such as Latin America. Finally, she emphasised the importance of building a common agenda through initiatives such as the MENA-OECD Business Advisory Council, co-chaired by CEOE, which gives the private sector greater influence on legislative framework reforms in the region and promotes public-private dialogue.
The event has also hosted a round table, moderated by Jaime Montalvo, International Director of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce; focused on B2B cooperation and joint business opportunities, and in which, together with Malek Twal, participated Luis Rodríguez Llopis, President of the Spain-Saudi Arabia Business Council; and Luis de Lope, President of the Spain-Egypt Business Council.
