On 17 May 2022, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, delivered his remarks at the dinner hosted by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry to honour the official visit as well as the Thai delegates from both public and private sectors. The dinner also served as an event for business matching.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed appreciation that the business matching event was well attended by Saudi businesspeople from 73 companies in Jeddah and Makkah, which are well known cities for market potential and strategic commercial location to the Middle East and North Africa since Jeddah is the Kingdom’s largest trade hub, and trade has been a prime economic engine of growth and prosperity for both countries.

There were representatives from 38 leading Thai companies in 14 sectors, who shared common interests with their Saudi counterparts in several key areas. These included tourism, service and health care industries, anti-aging, wellness, clean energy, construction materials, supply-chain, and digitalisation, among others. The business matching event was divided into 4 clusters: urban development, cultural tourism, health, and industrial development. The event was expected to generate successful commercial activities with satisfactory outcomes for the private sectors. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs also cited the remarks of the Minister of Investment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that the delegation from Thailand was the largest group ever to visit Saudi Arabia. This reflects the importance Thailand attaches to the enhancement of trade and investment ties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs also highlighted that the strong commitment of the respective governmental and private sectors would pave a way for the visit of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabi later this year, trusting this would help steer forward the Roadmap for Thai-Saudi relations in the future.