HRH Prince Khaled Al-Faysal guest of honor in the 18th session of AEF

The Saudi participation in the Forum, in addition to HRH Prince Khaled, includes a group of prominent Saudi officials and economists as keynote speakers and guests, including HRH Prince Turki Al-Faysal, Chairman of King Faysal Center for Research and Islamic Studies; Dr. Mohammed Al-Jasser, Governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA); Dr. Abdullah Al-Kuwaiz a renowned economist; and Dr. Faysal Alaquil, Chairman of the Advisory Committee of Department of Architecture at Effat University, and Director of Business Development for Construction Products Holding Company (CPC).

Dr. Alaquil commented, "Construction Products Holding Company (CPC) is much honored to be a platinum sponsor for this forum, which he described as of great significance for being the oldest economic forum in the region. The forum will discuss many important and vital issues that impact the economic performance in the region and its future plans".

He further added, "We at CPC never hesitate to support and sponsor any event or conference that aims to increase bilateral trade and open investment opportunities in the Arab countries, and where steps are taken to meet the challenges facing the Arab economy and recover from the impact of economic crisis which negatively affected many countries around the world last year."

More than 600 participants will be attending the Forum led by the Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou, Deputy Prime Minister of Kuwait for Economic Affairs, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah; Secretary General of the Arab League, Mr. Amr Moussa, as well as some governors of central banks and some officials of funding institutions and major Arab and foreign banking companies.

The key topics to be covered include global economy in the post-crisis era; Future of the Middle East: Regional Cooperation or Conflict?; Towards a Free Trade Zone Between Turkey and the Arab World; Outlook for Arab-European-Middle Eastern Relations; Prospects of Economic Cooperation and Partnership with the Rising Economies of Asia; Financing Challenges in light of the Retrenchment in Credit and Foreign Investment; Regional Economic Restructuring and Lessons Learned from the Crisis; and Post-Crisis Investment Strategies: New Opportunities and Risks.

The Forum is being organized by Al Iktissad Wal Aamal Group in cooperation with the Central Bank of Lebanon and the Association of Banks in Lebanon, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) - a member of the World Bank Group.