RIYADH: ProMexico Director Paulo Carreno King met senior Saudi officials on Thursday in a bid to promote trade and investment between the two countries. King, chief of the government agency that promotes international trade and investment, told Arab News the meeting was a follow-up to agreements signed by President of Mexico Enrique Pena Nieto, who visited the Kingdom in January 2016. “It was a historic moment, President Nieto’s visit marked the first visit of a Mexican head of state to the Kingdom in 40 years,” he said. Mexico’s President Luis Echeverria visited Saudi Arabia in 1975. The ProMexico head, who was accompanied by Mexican Ambassador Alfredo Miranda, held a series of meetings with officials including Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) Secretary General Dr. Saud Al-Meshari, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) Governor Eng. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Ambassador Hussein Al-Assiri, director for South America and the Oceania at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), and members of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI). “During the talks with the CSC secretary general we discussed the importance of finding mechanisms to increase the exchange of commercial missions between the two countries,” he said. “We signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a bi-national council of businessmen that will help both countries achieve a stronger commercial relationship,” he said. “During the meeting with SAGIA Governor Eng. Ibrahim Al-Omar we presented the instruments that the Mexican Government has made available for foreign investors such as the ‘Mexico Projects Hub’ website,” he said. The mexicoprojectshub.gob.mx website is part of the Mexican government’s initiative to create an investor relations office, to link investment projects with domestic and foreign potential investors, encourage long-term financing of infrastructure, consolidate an investment projects hub of greenfield and brownfield, provide domestic and foreign investors with an advanced visibility of projects sponsored by government entities, transparency on project’s performance and comparability in investment opportunities. “Both countries, Saudi Arabia and Mexico, are undergoing a process of deep structural reforms, and the time to increase bilateral trade and investment has never been so attractive,” he said. “During talks with Ambassador Hussein Al-Assiri, director for South America and the Oceania at the MoFA, we discussed the synergies and complimentary opportunities that exist between Saudi Arabia and Mexico. “We also met with members of the RCCI and representatives from the private sector and presented Mexico’s strengths as one of the most dynamic investment hubs, especially in sectors such as tourism, manufacturing and energy. Mexican Ambassador Alfredo Miranda told Arab News: “This visit to the Kingdom marks a new stage in bilateral relations and is set to boost trade and investment between the two countries.”