Saudi Arabia takes part in 71st GCC commercial cooperation meeting in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia participated in the 71st meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Commercial Cooperation Committee, held in Riyadh yesterday and chaired by Minister of Commerce and Chairman of the General Authority for Foreign Trade, Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi. The meeting was attended by GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, along with commerce ministers from other member states.

The agenda included updates on negotiations for free trade agreements with countries and international blocs, follow-up on the implementation of GCC commercial laws, developments in consumer protection legislation, and the work of subcommittees.

Participants reviewed a report from the Secretariat General on the implementation of previous decisions, the latest on the expansion of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in GCC countries, and measures taken by the Secretariat in response to current regional developments.

Side meetings and bilateral engagements

Al-Qasabi also took part in the ministerial meeting of the Commercial Cooperation Committee, the 12th ministerial committee on standardization, and the official opening of the "Made in the Gulf" exhibition and forum. He joined consultative meetings between GCC commerce and industry ministers, heads of chambers and federations, and with Gulf entrepreneurs.

On the sidelines, Al-Qasabi held bilateral talks with GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi, Kuwait’s Acting Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Investment, Commerce and Industry Abdulaziz Al-Marzouq, Bahrain’s Minister of Industry and Commerce Abdullah Fakhro, and the UK’s Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and Pakistan, Gemma Stephenson.

GCC trade volume

Trade between Saudi Arabia and GCC countries reached approximately 268 billion riyals (SAR) in 2025, with Saudi exports to the Gulf totaling around 186 billion riyals.