The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the US, India, the UAE, France, Germany, Italy and the EU have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a project that establishes a new economic transport corridor connecting India, the Middle East and Europe.
The Saudi Press reports that the MoU will help realise the signees’ interests as well as enhance their economic ties with their partners in a way that eventually reflects positively on the global economy in general.
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) will contribute to the development and rehabilitation of infrastructure that includes railways and port linkages to increase the passage of goods and services, and boost trade among its stakeholders, installing electricity lines and pipelines to carry electricity and hydrogen to enhance global energy security, as well as data transmission cables for a highly efficient and reliable cross-border network.
As gathered by Arabian Business, the establishment of the IMEC will be comprised of two ways: The east corridor, connecting India to the Arabian Gulf, and the northern corridor, connecting the Arabian Gulf to Europe.
The MoU is also envisioned to enhance economic integration and contribute to providing new, quality jobs for long-term gains, along with new cross-border corridors.
The Kingdom’s contribution to this project stems from its strategic geographical position linking the East to the West, its global leadership role as a reliable source of energy and its competitive advantages that make its participation in this project central to its success.
The UAE’s cooperation on this initiative reflects the country’s efforts to strengthen its international partnerships and contribute towards a sustainable future, particularly in advance of its hosting of the upcoming COP28 climate conference in November.
Participants are looking forward to working together to establish coordinating bodies that will address a range of technical, financial, legal, and regulatory affairs. Additionally, participants will also meet in the future to advance the design and implementation of the transit network.