A Fresh Start of Saudi Qatar Relations and Mega Business Opportunities

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In the past decade, the outlook of global politics, trade, business, and communication has progressed unprecedentedly from good to better. From the perspective of the Gulf region, technology, and geopolitics will always remain relevant factors. These factors combined with regional peace and international players showcase the ultimate trajectory of progress. Take the example of two key players in the Gulf region, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Each with its foreign policy aligned with its priorities and international partners but somewhat opposite to each other. With a recent past of very rough and tumble relations, Saudi-Qatar relations are on a fast route to align on priorities by taking the common interests head-on. 

 

In the bigger picture of the globalization of businesses, brands, and services, the increasingly important role of translation services is bridging the cultural and linguistic barriers. When it comes to building professional business relations with Gulf countries, the role of crystal-clear communication is paramount. As the famous Arabic saying about professional commitment goes, the one who gave his word gave his neck. To ensure global business commitments are met with the desired results and mitigate the dialectical differences in the Arabic language, modern businesses of the Gulf region rely on a professional translation company. It also helps mitigate their legal, technical, and regulatory compliance-related linguistic and cultural barriers.  

Fading Saudi-Qatar Rift and NEOM City Project

Continuously increasing bilateral trade and restoring business and trade between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, it appears that both countries are exploiting every opportunity to showcase a gesture of goodwill. On May 14, 2024, The Saudi ambassador to Qatar, Prince Mansour bin Khalid bin Farhan took part in the inauguration ceremony of the first-ever Saudi National Products Exhibition in Doha, Qatar. Another positive indicator of bilateral trade is the percentage of trade between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The bilateral trade increased by 110% in 2023 as compared to 2022. 

 

The Qatari state visit of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MbS) further unshackles the stream of bilateral business deals and projects worth $10 billion. Additionally, Qatari construction companies also secured contracts for building the Saudi giga flagship project for NEOM city. Estimated to $500 million (official) to 1.5 to 2 trillion US dollars (unofficial). Including a sleek 170 km long walled shape city for 9 million people), (The Line') a futuristic island, (Oxagon), the regional first outdoor ski city, powered by green energy, (Trojena) luxury tourist resorts, a car manufacturing city, and much more. NEOM is the biggest Saudi project that aims to redefine business, liveability, and conservation. The managing director of Resco International, (a Qatari construction company) Said-ul-Rehman Khan said,

 

 “There is so much work (in Saudi Arabia), I think all the companies in the Middle East will go”. 

International Cooperation and Role of Arabic Translation 

To facilitate and streamline these high-stakes projects, Saudi and Qatari companies always work with international partners all the time. More than 150 global companies want to participate in the NEOM project. In the “Discover NEOM European” tour,  Berline and French investors particularly partnered with Saudi companies. The CEO of NEOM, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, said,

 

“We were delighted to be in Germany and France. We have significant German and French Partners in water, energy, and advanced manufacturing, and these events allowed potential investors across a wide variety of industries to explore the significant market opportunities that NEOM presents”

 

This crucial cooperation between high-stake Saudi-Qatari businesses and projects is highly facilitated by certified Arabic translation services. Whether it is initial communication that needs interpretation or translation, putting terms and conditions in writing, Arabic translation services facilitate business communication. Moreover, adherence to legal and compliance regulations of international and Gulf financial institutions is a must and translation proves to be very helpful in this regard as well. Furthermore, hundreds of job opportunities to work for NEOM projects attract international experts to work in and with Saudi Arabian companies. 

 

Whether it is about global expansion, or cooperation between international partners working on something bigger than themselves, the bridging role of translation services can never be underestimated. The range of benefits that Arabic translation services offer is exponential for increasing business relations and building trust and loyalty among global partners.  

Takeaways

The Gulf region is famous for its dynamic geopolitics circumstances and ever-evolving landscape but is always filled with ample business opportunities. Recent developments open up the doors for both regional cooperation and global businesses. The key to building long-lasting business relations with Gulf countries is to mitigate the language barrier and language service providers are playing their part impartially irrespective of any regional and international political affiliations. The world is keen to be a part of the futuristic NEOM city. The modern perspective of MbS is shaping the way the world used to see conservative Saudi Arabia.