Business & Money | Saturday 12 November, 2016 6:00 am |

Belgian Ambassador Geert Criel said the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Belgium has been solid and enduring.
He was speaking at his country’s “Dynasty Day” celebration in Riyadh, which was attended by Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar on Thursday. Senior government officials, businessmen and members of the diplomatic corps were present to mark the day.
Prince Faisal joined Ambassador Criel to cut the ceremonial cake to mark the beginning of the Dynasty Day festivities. Dynasty Day marks the anniversary of the crowning of King Philippe of Belgium on July 21, 2013.
In his speech Criel underscored that in 2016, as in past years, the relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Belgium has been solid and enduring. “An intensive and constructive political dialogue took place between both countries in 2016,” the envoy recalled. 
Ambassador Criel mentioned how Belgium particularly appreciated the friendship and the sympathy expressed by the Saudi government and the Saudi people after the terrorist attacks in Brussels on March 22. He added that after the attacks, the Belgian government took a series of stringent measures at the legal, political and security levels. "Life has now returned to normal, and Brussels is again the dynamic and thriving city it has always been.” 
The ambassador talked about the many efforts undertaken by the embassy to reinforce the Saudi-Belgian relationship. At the economic level, he said Belgian companies have worked intensively to contribute to the goals of the ambitious Vision 2030 plan of the Saudi government. He mentioned that the Belgian-Saudi bilateral trade is approaching 4 billion euros a year and the Belgian investment in the Kingdom has surpassed 400 million euros, mostly in the high technology sectors, as envisioned by Vision 2030.
Belgium is an important tourist and academic destination for Saudi citizens, Criel noted, mentioning that the beauty of the country stretches from the coast to the Ardennes, over its many art cities.