Saudi Arabia:New Zealand revives GCC free trade deal
Issue 1023
- 07 Oct 2016
| 2 minute read
Saudi and New Zealand officials held several meetings in late September, aimed at reviving plans for a free trade agreement (FTA). The previous round of negotiations ended without success in 2009, when the agreement was thought to have stalled in part because of the ‘sheepgate’ scandal, involving a ban on the live export of New Zealand sheep and a well-connected Saudi businessman. New Zealand trade minister Todd McClay met his counterpart Dr Majid Al-Qasabi in Riyadh on 28 September, after which McClay said there was “an extremely pleasing outcome from my mission to Saudi Arabia. We can now see a way forward towards the completion of the FTA”.
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