13th Arab-Austrian Economic Forum - REPORT

13^th Arab-Austrian Economic Forum & Exhibition

“Energy Strategies & Economic Cooperation with Arab Countries”

Time:

Monday, 27 November 2023, 9:30 AM – 3 PM Vienna time (UTC + 1)

Venue:

Haus der Wiener Wirtschaft
Straße der Wiener Wirtschaft 1, 1020 Vienna – Austria

Organised by:

Austro-Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC)

Vienna Economic Chamber (WKW)

In cooperation with:

Arab Ambassadors Council in Vienna

Union of Arab Chambers (UAC)

League of Arab States

City of Vienna

The OPEC Fund for International Development

Supported by:

GENERAL OUTLINE	AGENDA	SPEAKERS	EXHIBITORS & SPONSORS
REPORT		PHOTO GALLERY

View the 13th Arab-Austrian Economic Forum on our AACC YouTube Channel:

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Part One: Opening & Workshop UAE (partially) --- Part Two: Workshop UAE (continued) - Q & A

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Part Three: Workshop UAE (continued), Speeches of Ministers, Workshop KSA --- Part Four: Workshop KSA (continued) - Q & A

REPORT:

High-level minister attendance and future technologies at the 13^th Arab-Austrian Economic Forum

Inspiring technological innovations and business potentials with Arab countries were presented at the 13th Arab-Austrian Economic Forum, which was held on November 27, 2023 at the Haus der Wiener Wirtschaft in Vienna with over 200 participants attending.

The Forum was organized by the Austro-Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC) and the Vienna Chamber of Commerce (WKW), in cooperation with official institutions, diplomatic missions of Arab countries and international organizations, and focused on energy strategies and economic cooperation with Arab countries.

r-t-l: Dr. Alexander Biach, Vienna Economic Chamber; Eng. Omar Al-Rawi, City of Vienna Council;
Former Governor Hans Niessl; Form. Minister Herbert Scheibner; Mourad Beldjehem,
Chairman Alnaft Agency Algeria; Mr. Tareq Alnassar, Assistant Director-General

Speakers of the Opening Session were AACC President Former Minister H.E. Dr. Werner Fasslabend; the Deputy Managing Director of the Vienna Economic Chamber and Vienna Business Location Advocate Dr. Alexander Biach; Member of Viennese Parliament H.E. Eng. Omar Al-Rawi representing the City of Vienna; H.E. Mr. Hamad Alkaabi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates and Current President of the Arab Ambassadors Council in Austria; H.E. Mr. Tareq Alnassar, the Assistant Director-General of OPEC Fund for International Development; and AACC-Secretary General Eng. Mouddar Khouja, who was the moderator of the session.

l-t-r: Form. Min. Dr. Werner Fasslabend – Dr. Alexander Biach

l-t-r: Eng. Omar Al-Rawi – Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi

l-t-r: Mr. Tareq Alnassar – Eng. Mouddar Khouja

At the opening of the Forum, tribute was also paid to the current situation in the region with a minute of mourning for the numerous civilian victims, children and women, and a strong appeal for peace in the Holy Land.

Among the distinguished guests of honour were the Libyan Minister of Industry & Minerals H.E. Mr. Ahmed Abu Hisa, the Minister of Industry & Trade of Yemen H.E. Mr. Mohammed Al-Ashwal, and the Minister of Industry of Lebanon H.E. Mr. George Bouchikian, along with further delegates from Libya, Saudi-Arabia, Algerien, Jordan, Syria, Kuwait, Greece, Germany, Chile, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Austria and many more.

Speeches: Libyan Minister of Industry & Minerals H.E. Ahmed Abu Hisa (left) &
Yemini Minister of Industry H.E. Mohammed Al-Ashwal (right)

l-t-r: Ambassador of Yemen HE Haitham Shoja’aadin; Ambassador of Lebanon H.E. Ibrahim Assaf;
Minister Mohammed Al-Ashwal, Yemen; Minister George Bouchikian, Lebanon;
Ambassador Abdulaziz Almikhlafi, Secretary General of Ghorfa

Chaired by Dr. Werner Fasslabend and Dr. Alexander Biach, two high-level workshops presented innovative approaches on renewable energy, investment potentials as well as success stories of Austrian-Arab business cooperation in the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia. In the presence of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia H.E. Dr. Abdullah Tawlah and the Ambassador of the UAE H.E. Mr. Hamad Alkaabi, several official institutions and companies introduced their portfolios and opportunities for cooperation with Arab partners.

H.E. Ambassador Tawlah, Saudi-Arabia

Along with His Excellency Ambassador Alkaabi the workshop on the United Arab Emirates featured the following speakers: Dr. Markus Horcher, Director Sustainability & Public Affairs, Borealis AG; Dr. Andreas Harrer, Head of Subsurface Systems, Underground Energy Storage Technologies GmbH; DDDipl.Ing. Dr. Erwin Greiler, CEO, Royal Hydrogen LLC; and Mr. Hassan Al Hashemi, Abu Dhabi Investment Office, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Department who joined the meeting online.

r-t-l: Dr. Alexander Biach – HE Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi – Dr. Andreas Harrer –
DDDipl.-Ing. Dr. Erwin Greiler – Dr. Markus Horcher

The workshop on the Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia introduced the following speakers: Mr. Rakan AlGaraawi, Associate International Office Director - Germany, Ministry of Investment, Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia; Eng. Slaiman A. Alhomidan, Commercial Attaché, Royal Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Germany; DI Dr. Mario Müller, Head of R & D, Emerald Horizon AG; Mr. Peter Lieber, CEO SparxSystems Software GmbH Europe, Country Coordinator Ecomai Project; and Mr. Ahmed Alomar, Business Development Manager - Energy Sector, Ministry of Investment, Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia who participated online.

l-t-r: Form. Min. Dr. Werner Fasslabend – Peter Lieber – DI Dr. Mario Müller – Eng. Slaiman Alhomidan –
Mr. Rakan AlGaraawi – Eng. Mouddar Khouja – Mr. Ahmed Alrakhis, First Secretary at the
Embassy of Saudi-Arabia in Vienna

AACC-President Dr. Fasslabend, speaking also on behalf of the Arab President and Founder of the Austro-Arab Chamber of Commerce H.E. Mr. Nabil Kuzbari, emphasized the importance of respectful and open cooperation at both, the global and economic level.

Opening of the Exhibition Area

The event also included an exhibition area with country-specific displays from the Arab embassies of Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Palestine, Saudi-Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. They presented handicrafts, culinary delicacies and information brochures, and provided the numerous visitors with a colourful insight into their culture and history, as well as interesting business potentials of their countries.

After the Forum, guests and visitors engaged in active networking and exchange of ideas, and enjoyed an exquisite oriental lunch buffet, generously sponsored by OMV AG and Vimpex HandelsgmbH.

Photo Credits: AACC, WKW / Philipp Hutter, Florian Wieser

Visit the Photo Gallery to see more pictures from the event.

Presentations: