Riyadh, May 10, 2017: The UAE participated in the 46th preparatory meeting for trade ministers in the GCC which was held today (Wednesday, May 10, 2017) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, prior to the 55th meeting of the GCC Trade Cooperation Committee later this month.

The delegation was headed by H.E. Eng. Mohammed Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Al Shehhi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy for Economic Affairs, and also included Humaid bin Butti Al Muhairi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Corporate Sector and Consumer Protection; Ahmed Abdullah Bin Sulaiman from the Department of Agreements and Joint Committees; and Abdalla Alshemsi from the Government Communication Department.

The meeting discussed several items and noted recommendations for submission to the next ministerial meeting of the Trade Cooperation Committee. The most prominent items were the activity of commercial agencies, the terms of reference of the GCC Patent Office, entrepreneurial and innovation initiatives for small- and medium-sized enterprises, recommendations of the World Trade Organization Committee to the GCC, and other topics within the framework of GCC economic integration.

H.E. Eng. Al Shehhi said that today’s preparatory meeting is an important platform for discussing challenges and opportunities related to the GCC’s development process. He noted that the session covered topics aimed at enhancing regional economic integration and supporting interlinkages and coordination in various fields of development.