EU biggest foreign direct investor in Saudi Arabia: Borrell

RIYADH — The European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Sunday that the EU is the second biggest trading partner of Saudi Arabia and the biggest foreign direct investor.

“Building from this strong economic relationship, we want to go beyond economics and to widen the scope of our interaction — to make it more strategic, also on regional issues and global challenges such as the green transition, climate change or digital revolution.”

Borrell made these remarks during a press conference with the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan in Riyadh.

“There are unprecedented reforms under way in Saudi Arabia and we support this modernisation drive that we welcome very much,” Borrell said.

Borrell shared his observations, as Coordinator of the JCPOA — the nuclear deal with Iran — and briefed Prince Faisal, on the prospects of restarting Vienna talks about the nuclear deal with Iran soon.

They also exchanged views about Afghanistan and discussed the situation in Yemen. The EU foreign policy chief appreciated Saudi Arabia’s efforts aimed at ending the fighting and condemned the cross border attacks against the Kingdom’s territory.

“This morning I met United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg and I stressed our call on all actors in this conflict to fully support a peaceful settlement to the conflict.”

Borrell said: “I am happy that we managed to launch dialogue between the European Union and Saudi Arabia on energy, where we look at common points between our Green Deal and the Saudi Vision 2030 when it comes to renewable energy, emission reduction and carbon capture.”

“I strongly believe that Saudi Arabia can and should lead by example in the Gulf and the wider region on these issues.”

On his part, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan said Riyadh has a "very robust" dialogue with the United States to end the war.

Prince Faisal said he had reviewed several issues with his EU counterpart, adding that their meeting in Riyadh also saw them reviewing “the opportunities achieved by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.”

Prince Faisal also confirmed to Borrell “the seriousness of the Houthi militia’s practices in Yemen.”

He stressed, “the danger of the Houthi militia continuing to bet on military options in Yemen,” explaining that “the Houthis continue to violate despite the ceasefire initiatives in Yemen.”

“Talks with Iran are still at an exploratory stage,” Prince Faisal said. “We hope these talks will resolve the issues stuck between the two countries and we are seeking to attain it.”