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Newsletter
January 2016 Edition
By the German-Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (AHK Saudi Arabia)
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Table of ContentsI. edItorIal 3II. GeNeral News 4NEw cOmpANiES LAw ApprOvEd 4SAudi ArABiAN BudGEt fOr 2016 rEvEALEd 4SAudi ArABiA mAy SALE ShArES Of ArAmcO 5vAt tO BE iNtrOducEd uNtiL 2018 5NEw tAx ON uNdEvELOpEd LANd 5updAtES ON thE wAGE prOtEctiON prOGrAm 5SAudi ArABiA tO privAtizE AirpOrtS StArtiNG 2016 5thySSENKrupp ANd yAmAmA cEmENt SiGN SAr4.2 BN cONtrAct 6NEw trAdE mArK ANd pAtENt OfficE dEAdLiNE rEGuLAtiON 6SAudi ArABiA iSSuiNG BONdS 6BAN ON cEmENt ANd StEEL ExpOrtS mAy BE LiftEd pArtiALLy 6
II. GeNeral News / III. aHK News 7GErmAN SmS GrOup OpENS rEGiONAL OfficE iN BAhrAiN 7NEw iSSuE Of Our GSBm mAGAziNE rELEASEd 7
III. aHK News 8trANSpOrt ANd LOGiSticS dELEGAtiON 8BuSiNESS dELEGAtiON frOm BAdEN-württEmBErG 8dihK cONfErENcE ON duAL vOcAtiONAL trAiNiNG ABrOAd iN BErLiN 9
IV. AHK NEws - TrAdE FAIrs 10SAudi dELEGAtiON viSitEd thE AGritEchNicA 2015 iN NurEmBErG 10GESALO At thE hOtEL tEch ExpO iN riyAdh 10cEBit 2016 prEviEw 11
V. EVENT CAlENdAr 12GESALO - EvENt cALENdAr 2016 12
VII. AHK PublICATIoNs 13AhK puBLicAtiONS - GErmAN LANGuAGE 1 13AhK puBLicAtiONS - GErmAN LANGuAGE 2 14AhK puBLicAtiONS - ENGLiSh LANGuAGE 14
VIII. AHK PublICATIoNs - ordEr Form 15IX. sAudI ArAbIA dEsK IN bIElEFEld 16
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I. edItorIal
dear partners and clients of GESALO, dear friends,
As you know my colleague Andreas hergenröther left for a new post in East Asia. Succeeding a colleague who dedicated a significant share of his professional life to foster German business relations with the mENA region is a very special task. it is with respect and gratitude that i follow Andreas in his position as the delegate of German industry and commerce for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and yemen. After some few days in office i can see already that the delegation is well positioned, and equipped with motivated and talented colleagues. thanks a lot again to Andreas hergenröther for many successful years in riyadh.
having worked, amongst others, in a German chamber of commerce and industry (ihK) and lately the national chamber of indonesia i am pleased to be back to the German chamber system. with world economy being at a critical point and with many observers even questioning the traditional patterns of globalization, i am convinced that established and robust bilateral trade relations matter even more than ever. the German-Saudi Arabian business relations have always been built on mutual respect and trust. i am convinced that GESALO continues to be a reliable and professional partner in these ventures.
i am looking forward meeting you on one of our future business gatherings. in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact the GESALO team and myself.
oliver oehmsdelegate of German industry and commerce for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and yemen
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II. GeNeral News
New companies law approved
the Saudi Arabian government approved a new companies law which will come into force 150 days from the date of publication in the official gazette um Al-Qura (december 4, 2015). companies are required to comply with the new regulations within a one-year period as the new law comes into force in may 2016. the primary regulator will continue to be the ministry of commerce and industry (mOci), although the capital market Authority (cmA) will oversee the Joint Stock companies listed in the Saudi financial markets.the new law will recognize the following five corporate forms: - General partnership,- Limited partnership,- Joint venture company,- Joint Stock company (New: Only two shareholders required, minimum capital SAr 500,000, with a capital of more than SAr 5 mio. one shareholder is sufficient) and - Limited Liability company (New: Only one shareholder required, statutory reserve now 30%, before 50%).
for a more detailed review please click here.
Saudi Arabian Budget for 2016 revealed
the Saudi Arabian Government has released its budget for the fiscal year 2016. the revenues are estimated at SAr513.8 bn. (uSd 137 bn.), the expenditures are budgeted at SAr840 bn. (uSd 224 bn.). this will lead to a deficit of SAr326.2 bn. (uSd 86,9 bn.) in 2016 but experiences of recent budgets show that both revenue and expenditure estimates differed highly from the actual outcome.
the new budget is allocated as follows:
sector sar bn. / Usd bn.Education and training 191.66 / 51.11health and social dev. 104.86 / 27.96municipality Services 21.25 / 5.66military and Security Services 213.37 / 56.9infrastructure and transportation 23.90 / 6.37Economic resources 78.12 / 20.83public administration 23.84 / 6.36Budget support provision 183.00 / 48.80Total 840.00 / 224.00
please see the ministry’s statement here.
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II. GeNeral News
updates on the wage protection program
the program launched on August 2013 now covers in its 9th stage beginning November 9, 2015 companies with more than 100 employees. the next stage covering companies with 11 to 100 employees will start on february 1, 2016. companies that do not pay their employees on time will be fined SAr 3,000 for each unpaid staff.
please find details here and here.
Saudi Arabia to privatize airports starting 2016
the Saudi Arabian General Authority for civil Aviation (GAcA) announced a privatization program for the airports of the kingdom. Starting with riyadh King Khaled Airport in the first quarter of 2016 it is planned to privatize all international, regional and local airports until 2020 after several units of the state owned Saudi Arabian Airlines have already been listed on the stock market.the airports in Jeddah and dammam are supposed to be privatized in 2017. details of the privatization are yet to be made and announced.
please find more details here and here.
New tax on undeveloped land
A recent decision by the government after discussions held in the shoura council points to a new tax on undeveloped land in urban areas. the tax is likely to be imposed as a percentage (2,5%) of the land’s value. the revenue is estimated with SAr 75 bn. (uSd 20 bn.) per year.
the story can be read on zawya here.
Saudi Arabia may sale shares of Aramco
the current efforts to counter the impact of low oil prices could lead to a sale of shares of Saudi Aramco. As this is a recently spread idea the process is still in the beginning and decisions are yet to be made. it seems to be likely that foreign investors would only be able the acquire shares in Aramco’s downstream operations.
please find a current article here.
vAt to be introduced until 2018
A value-added tax with a rate of 5% is planned to be introduced until 2018 according to statements by the minister of finance of Saudi Arabia. A vAt is likely to be introduced in the other Gcc countries as well.
the report by meed can be found here.
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II. GeNeral News
Saudi Arabia issuing bonds
in 2015 the Saudi Arabian government issued bonds to the local financial market worth SAr98 bn. (uSd 26,1 bn.) according to the finance ministry’s statement on the national budget for 2016. this year Saudi Arabia could also tap the international bond market.
for more details, please see here and here.
New trade mark and patent office deadline regulation
the law firm clyde & co is reporting that trade market and patent Office deadlines which fall on public holidays will no longer extend to the next working day.
A review can be found here.
thyssenKrupp and yamama cement sign SAr4.2 bn contract
A contract worth SAr4.2 bn. (uSd 1.1 bn.) was signed by thyssenKrupp industrial Solutions and yamama cement company in riyadh on November 24, 2015. the new factory will operate with five crushers, meet recent standards in energy consumption and will provide housing for the employees and their families.
please find the full story here.
Ban on cement and steel exports may be lifted partially
the news agency reuters reported, according to a quote from the customs department Official interviewed by the Newspaper Al-Eqtisadiah, that the current ban on the export of cement and steel may be lifted partially in the future.
the article can be found here.
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II. GeNeral News / III. aHK News
German SmS group opens regional office in Bahrain
in mid-december SmS Group executive vice-president of service professor pino tese opened the new SmS Group regional office in Bahrain. the opening event was attended by h.E. Alfred Simms-protz, German ambassador to Bahrain, mr. Khalid Al rumaihi, cEO of the Bahrain Economic development Board (EdB), mr. Jan Lutz mueller, head of AhK Saudi Arabia’s German desk in Al-Jubail and mr. Siegfried Gruber, managing director SmS Group Bahrain.
the new office will handle the majority of the company’s projects together with the regional head office in dubai. the SmS Group is also engaged in the Saudi Arabian market and other Gcc countries.
please check our website for the full story: click here to continue reading.
New issue of our GSBm magazine released
the November issue of our German-Saudi Business magazine with an editorial by the German federal minister of transport and digital infrastructure, Alexander dobrindt and many articles on the involvement of German companies in the Saudi Arabian transport and logistics sector has been released recently.
the articles cover the following: Bmw, dhL, Gerber Architekten, Giz, herrenknecht, hellmann, hochtief, Kuehne+ Nagel, Lufthansa, mAN diesel, mAN truck and Bus, miebach consulting, rail.One, S.A. talke, Siemens, SSi Schaefer, volkswagen and the Al zamil & Al Kharashi Law firm.
you can download a pdf version on our website here.
please contact mr. Soeren Kohse via [email protected] for further information.
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III. aHK News
transport and logistics delegation
the delegation trip to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in the beginning of November 2015 was jointly organized by German-Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (GESALO) and mena projektpartner. it consisted of five German companies, mostly medium sized enterprises (SmEs) and dB international. the trip was funded by the German federal ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (Bmwi) as part of their market access program for SmEs on the basis of a decision of the German federal parliament.
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are currently upgrading its infrastructure and providing good business opportunities for German companies working in all fields related to infrastructure.
you can read the full story of the delegation trip on our website: please click here to continue reading.
the delegation members during their visit at the riyadh dry port.
business delegation from Baden-württemberg
A large business delegation headed by the deputy minister president and minister of finance and Economics of the State of Baden-württemberg dr. Nils Schmid visited in riyadh in November 2015. the focus of the delegation was on companies from the following sectors: engineering, environmental technology, construction, architecture and crafts. the German state Baden-württemberg is visiting Saudi Arabia every year and really thrives the German – Saudi Arabian business relations.
the three-day trip was jointly organized by GESALO, the German Embassy in riyadh, the ministry for finance and Economic Affairs of Baden-württemberg, Baden-württemberg international Gmbh (bw-i) and handwerk international Baden-württemberg / Bw construction.
please check our website for the full story: click here to continue reading.
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III. aHK News
the yearly congress acts as a platform to share experiences, exchange ideas and develop new strategies.
dihK conference on dual vocational training abroad in Berlin
the GESALO and the Giz international Services are planning a project to train Saudi Arabian nationals according to the German dual vocational system. its main characteristic is the highly practical approach as most of the vocational training is provided by the companies. due to this element, and its high flexibility to meet actual needs of the labor market the German dual vocational training system contributed to the facts that Germany has the lowest youth unemployment rate of the European union with about 7 % and a highly skilled workforce in around 360 professions.
the dihK (Association of German chambers of industry and commerce) is working together with the 80 chambers of commerce and industry in Germany and the German chambers of commerce and industry abroad to implement the German dual vocational training approach worldwide. the conference on december 10 and 11 in Berlin provided an excellent opportunity for the delegate of the German industry and commerce mr. Andreas hergenroether and GESALO staff member mr. Soeren Kohse to get in touch with the latest developments and best practices of German dual vocational training in other countries.
please contact mr. Soeren Kohse via [email protected] for more information.
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IV. AHK NEws - TrAdE FAIrs
Saudi delegation visited the Agritechnica 2015 in Nuremberg
One of the services offered by GESALO is the organization of delegation trips with Saudi Arabian businessmen to trade fairs in Germany. therefore, the 2015 edition of the Agritechnica offered a good opportunity to get in touch with the current developments in the market for agricultural machinery and equipment and specially to get in contact with German producers.
the five-day visit included meetings with high-ranking officials from the Agritechnica trade fair, German agricultural organisations and companies and a conference on the topic „with all these technology developments for agriculture, what is the impact on the business?“.
GESALO at the hotel tech Expo in riyadh
the team of GESALO was present at the hotel tech Expo at the riyadh international convention & Exhibition center from November 30 to december 2. As the Saudi Arabian tourism sector is expected to grow heavily in the future, it represents good business opportunities for German companies.
please contact our trade fairs team for information on upcoming trade fairs and related events via [email protected].
the delegation members accompanied by GESALO staff mr. Al-Ameen Al-dalali (far left).
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IV. AHK NEws - TrAdE FAIrs
ceBit 2016 preview
ceBit 2016 (14–18 march, mon.–fri.):
international audience to be treated to new “ceBit welcome Night” – German chancellor Angela merkel to tour ceBit on tuesday, march 15.
The traditional CeBIT Opening Ceremony is now a thing of the past. As of 2016, the organizers of CeBIT will be treating their guests from around the world to an action-packed first day of the show and then to the “CeBIT Welcome Night” on the evening of the same day. German Chancellor Merkel will attend on the second day and take part in the traditional tour of CeBIT.
hannover, Germany. Next year, for the first time in the history of ceBit, guests from across the world will be festively welcomed to the event at a new “ceBit welcome Night” to take place right on site at the hannover Exhibition center. “we expect more than 2,000 guests to gather in halls 8 and 9 at our “ceBit welcome Night”, at the end of the first day of tradeshow business. the event will put even more of an emphasis than ever before on creative staging, plus networking opportunities for the global community,” explained Oliver frese, member of the managing Board at deutsche messe. the “ceBit welcome Night” will thus round off a busy first day in an especially fitting way.
On the first day of ceBit, the ceBit Global conferences in hall 8 will kick off with an Eu conference to be chaired by Eu commissioner Guenther Oettinger, who will be joined by the BitKOm’s new president, thorsten dirks, and numerous other international business players contributing either as keynote speakers or panel members. in the afternoon, the Switzerland Summit will take place in hall 8, where attention will focus on Switzerland’s digital economy and the country’s virtues as the official partner country for ceBit 2016.
in the evening more than 2,000 international guests will flock to hall 9 for the “ceBit welcome Night”. “we are organizing a special in-hall reception for our guests from the international business and political communities”, said frese. As announced today, the speakers include German vice-chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, the future Swiss president, Lower Saxony premier Stephan weil, the German minister for research Johanna wanka, the vice-president of the European commission Andrus Ansip and BitKOm president thorsten dirks. Nick hayek, company president of the Swiss Swatch Group, has also agreed to speak as a representative of the user industries. when the official part of the event comes to a close there will also be plenty of opportunities for networking and partying at the “ceBit welcome Night”.
your contact for further information:hartwig von Saßtel.: +49 511 89-31155E-mail: [email protected]
Additional press releases and photos can be downloaded from the cEBit website here.
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V. EVENT CAlENdAr
GESALO - Event calendar 2016
Planned Events in saudi Arabia
January 201622. – 24.01. introduction of the new delegate of the German industry and commerce in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and yemen
February 201603.02. – 21.02. Germany is the guest country of the next Janadriyah festival
Planned Events in Germany
January 201615. – 24.01 international Green week trade fair in Berlin
16. – 19.01. domotex trade fair in hanover
24. – 27.01. iSpO muNich trade fair in munich
27. – 01.02. Spielwarenmesse trade fair in Nuremberg
February 201603. – 05.02. fruit Logistica trade fair in Berlin
10. – 13.02. BiOfAch + vivANESS trade fair in Nuremberg
march 201614. – 18.03. ceBit in hanover
april 201605.04. uAE / Saudi Arabia information day at cci hagen
11. – 17.04. bauma trade fair in munich
20.04. AhK Business Lounge at cci Koblenz
25. – 29.04. hannover messe
october/November 201626.10. 5th Export forum rhineland-palatinate / Saarland at cci rheinhessen in mainz
30.10. – 03.11. delegation of German confectionery companies to Saudi Arabia
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VII. AHK PublICATIoNs
AhK publications - German Language 1
business & legal Guide saudi-Arabien (stand: Juni 2015)die AhK Saudi-Arabien veröffentlicht in Kooperation mit der ihK Bielefeld, den deutschen wirtschaftsjuristen Jochen hundt (hundt Legal) und christoph Keimer (Schlüter Graf rechtsanwälte) sowie dem Steuerberater franz-Josef Epping (Ernst & young) den Business & Legal Guide Saudi-Arabien. Auf über 230 Seiten vermittelt der im Juni 2015 erschienene Leitfaden praxisnah und detailliert wirtschaftliche und rechtliche informationen zum erfolgreichen markteintritt in Saudi-Arabien. inhalt: 1. Einführung (Staat, recht, wirtschaft und Kultur), 2. Geschäftstätigkeit in Saudi-Arabien (Einreise- und Aufenthaltsbestimmungen, Geschäftsanbahnung, Ein- und Ausfuhrbestimmungen), 3. Allgemeines vertragsrecht (vertragsgestaltung, zahlungsabsicherung), 4. Besondere rechtsgebiete (handelsvertretung inkl. mustervertrag, Steuerrecht, Scheck- und wechselrecht, Banken- und Kapitalmarktrecht), 5. Ausländische investitionen (investitionsanreize, investitionsrecht und Niederlassungsformen), 6. rechtschutz (rechtssystem, Gerichtsorganisation und Streitbeilegung). preis: 50 Eur zzgl. mwSt. und versandkosten.
Arbeits- und sozialrecht saudi-Arabien (stand: August 2014)diese publikation vermittelt praxisnah und detailliert alle wichtigen informationen zum Arbeits- und Sozialrecht in Saudi-Arabien. dabei wird besonderes Augenmerk daraufgelegt, inwieweit die gesetzlichen regelungen im Alltag umgesetzt werden und welche möglichkeiten das saudi-arabische recht zur verfügung stellt, sich gegen rechtsverstöße zu wehren oder eigene Ansprüche geltend zu machen. die themen Aufenthalts- und Arbeitserlaubnis im zusammenhang mit den zu beachtenden vorschriften zur „Saudisierung“ des Arbeitsmarktes bilden einen zusätzlichen Schwerpunkt dieser publikation. preis: 50 Eur zzgl. mwSt. und versandkosten.
Gewerblicher rechtsschutz saudi-Arabien (stand: November 2013)diese publikation vermittelt praxisnah und detailliert alle wichtigen informationen zum gewerblichen rechtsschutz im weiteren Sinne. im fokus stehen die fragen, inwieweit die gesetzlichen regelungen im Alltag umgesetzt werden und welche möglichkeiten das saudi-arabische recht zur verfügung stellt, sich gegen rechtsverstöße zu wehren oder eigene Ansprüche geltend zu machen. preis: 50 Eur zzgl. mwSt. und versandkosten.
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AhK publications - German Language 2
Vergaberecht saudi-Arabien (stand: Juli 2012)in Saudi-Arabien sind öffentliche Ausschreibungen von besonderer Bedeutung. wie in deutschland werden solche staatlichen projekte der öffentlichen hand durch öffentliche Ausschreibungen vergeben. Aufgrund des hohen wettbewerbs ist es umso wichtiger, sich bestmöglich auf bevorstehende Ausschreibungen vorzubereiten. der Leitfaden vermittelt praxisnah und detailliert wissen u.a. zu den themenbereichen: die Grundzüge des saudi-arabischen vergaberechts, projektdurchführung, unterschiede zum deutschen vergaberecht, zuschlag und Abwicklung, Klageverfahren und rechtsmittel sowie tipps für die praxis. preis: 50 Eur zzgl. mwSt. und versandkosten.
AhK publications - English Language
directory of saudi Importing Companies (2012) German companies’ exports to Saudi Arabia have been rapidly increasing during the last years. for a successful export business, the choice for the right importing company is crucial. for this reason, AhK Saudi Arabia published the “directory of importing companies” in order to assist companies to place their products on the Saudi market. price: Eur 40 plus German vAt and postal charges.
directory of German Companies and their representatives in saudi Arabia (January 2016)German companies’ engagement in the biggest economy and market in the mENA-region has grown rapidly during the last decade. By now more than 400 German companies are established in Saudi Arabia. German enterprises have successfully contributed to economic development in Saudi Arabia by investing, training local expertise and transferring technologies and know-how.the directory of German companies and their representatives by AhK Saudi Arabia lists all German companies that are doing business in the Kingdom including their contacts in Saudi Arabia and Germany. Additionally, a categorization in fields of activity and branches facilitates the search for a perfect business partner for new projects and cooperation between Saudi and German companies. price: SAr 300 and postal charges.
VII. AHK PublICATIoNs
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VIII. AHK PublICATIoNs - ordEr Form
Please fill out the form and sent it via E-mail to [email protected] or print the form and send it via Fax to 00966 - 11 - 4031232.
Item Quantity Price each
Business & Legal 50 EurGuide Saudi-Arabien
Arbeits- und Sozial- 50 Eurrecht Saudi-Arabien
Gewerblicher rechts- 50 Eurschutz Saudi-Arabien
vergaberecht 50 EurSaudi-Arabien
directory of 40 Eurimporting companies
directory of 300 SArGerman companies
All prices are without German vAt (only applies for orders from Germany) and postal charges. prices in SAr upon request.
Company:
Name:
Address:
E-mail:
Tel.:
Fax: date: stamp:
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IX. sAudI ArAbIA dEsK IN bIElEFEld
due to the high potential of the Saudi market and the increasing demand of German small and medium sized enterprises (SmEs) AhK Saudi Arabia and the chamber of industry and commerce of Eastern westphalia (ihK) based in the city of Bielefeld established in the beginning of 2011 the first Saudi Arabia desk in Germany.
the aim of the Saudi Arabia desk is to intensify the bilateral economic relations. By now ihK is the first contact partner for SmEs in North rhine-westphalia and the whole of Germany with regard to information and consultancy for business in Saudi Arabia. As the nucleus chamber for the Arabian Gulf in Germany ihK Bielefeld will be able to offer a much better service to all companies.
with an exporting volume of 8.879 billion Euros in 2014 the German economy is one of the three most important importing countries for Saudi Arabia and the most important in Europe. public tenders as well as private projects for several hundred billion Euros are planned in the field of infrastructure, petrochemicals, health care and education. made in Germany is frequently demanded by Saudi Arabian decision makers especially when projects are including the needed transfer of technology and know-how. in 2014 the German-Saudi Arabian trade volume was worth approximately 10 billion Euros, in 2015 the German exports can reach 10 billion Euro for the first time. Exported goods were foremost machinery, motor vehicles and parts, chemicals, food, metals, electronics and electro technical supplies.
with the Saudi Arabia desk ihK and AhK would like to organize common information events and expert symposiums in order to inform intensively and detailed about the latest topics of the German-Saudi relations and business opportunities. furthermore, it is planned to build up a strong network with all players and organizations in the German-Saudi Arabian business. Additionally, business delegations to Saudi Arabia shall be organized and information about known international trade fairs shall be provided to companies in Saudi Arabia and Germany.
more information: ihK Ostwestfalenmrs. ines ratajczak, tel.: 0521 554-101, E-mail: [email protected] and mrs. Karin Schepelmann, tel. 0521 554-238, E-mail: [email protected].
chamber of commerce & industry of Eastern westphalia
German-Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (AhK Saudi Arabia)
