SAUDI ARABIA and the UAE last month (October) signed an agreement in Riyadh aimed at strengthening strategic co-operation to advance railway connectivity between the two countries.

The MoU will help facilitate the movement of goods and freight, and enhance opportunities for infrastructure and energy sector integration in support of shared economic interests.

The preliminary agreement was signed by Mohamed Alsuwaidi, the UAE Minister of Investment, and Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Minister of Energy and Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, in Riyadh, reported Wam.

It establishes the general principles for railway connectivity between the two countries and provides for relevant technical and economic studies. This cooperation aims to strengthen logistics integration, improve supply chain efficiency, facilitate cross-border trade and transport, and support economic development and regional integration.

As part of broader efforts to strengthen infrastructure integration between the two countries, the MoU also encompasses co-operation on electricity interconnection, including the exchange and sale of electricity, as well as technical, economic and environmental feasibility studies to assess interconnection opportunities.