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A Saudi business delegation culminated its visit to Malta with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, and the Federation of Saudi Chambers. The Saudi business delegation was led by Abdulhadi Al Hababi, Chair of the Saudi Maltese Business Council, together with Abdulaziz Nasser Al Asim, First Secretary and Head of Political and Economic Section at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Rome, along with other prominent Saudi business leaders. The visit marked a significant step forward in Malta-Saudi Arabia economic relations, with several opportunities for future collaborations between businesses from the two countries. The delegation’s programme focused on strengthening bilateral economic ties, exploring investment opportunities, and facilitating structured engagement between Saudi and Maltese stakeholders. The delegation participated in two Malta-Saudi business roundtables with Maltese business leaders, a Malta Chamber business session focused on Malta as an investment platform, and an event hosted by TradeMalta and Malta Enterprise, for senior Maltese institutional stakeholders. The delegation also met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ian Borg. “This visit reflects Malta’s commitment to building stronger and more structured economic relations with Saudi Arabia. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding creates a platform for deeper business cooperation, stronger institutional ties, and new opportunities for Maltese and Saudi enterprises alike,” said Dr Borg. Government Envoy for the Gulf Zachary Borg, who facilitated the delegation’s visit to Malta, said that the Saudi delegation’s visit was designed to be practical, focused, and outcome driven. “The objective was not simply to facilitate introductions, but to lay the foundations for a credible and active Malta Saudi corridor that supports trade, investment, and long-term commercial partnership in both directions,” he explained. The Malta Chamber session brought together representatives of the Federation of Saudi Chambers and Maltese stakeholders for an official business exchange focused on identifying collaboration opportunities, encouraging initial deal making discussions, and strengthening Malta Saudi commercial ties. The MoU signing ceremony concluded the session at the Chamber’s Council Room, in Valletta. The President of the Malta Chamber, William Spiteri Bailey, said that “this trade delegation has fostered further bilateral relationships and will enable us to explore new economic frontiers. The MoU cements our growing partnership, paving the way for future commercial opportunities for both our business communities." Mr Abdulhadi Al Hababi, Chair of the Saudi Maltese Business Council, said that “we came to Malta to build serious and lasting business ties with credible counterparts. The MoU is in fact an important first step, and we see strong potential for cooperation across several sectors. We look forward to taking this forward through continued engagement and broader participation from the Saudi private sector.” The delegation’s visit was built around a clear two-way strategic direction - enabling Maltese companies to enter Saudi Arabia, while positioning Malta as a gateway for Saudi investment and expansion into Europe. Priority sectors identified for cooperation included financial services and fintech, esports and digital media, hospitality and tourism, technology and artificial intelligence, as well as logistics, maritime and aviation. The Saudi delegation included representatives from the Federation of Saudi Chambers, the Saudi Maltese Business Council, the Saudi Embassy in Rome, and business leaders active in sectors including engineering, investment, defence industries, construction, marketing, and energy. Maltese participants across the wider programme represented finance, advisory, law, technology, cybersecurity, energy, sustainability, manufacturing, healthcare, education, hospitality, and innovation. Follow up engagements are expected to continue in the coming months, with the Federation of Saudi Chambers set to brief stakeholders in Saudi Arabia after the visit and preparations envisaged for a second, broader delegation focused on targeted business to business and government engagement. Photo: MFT