Siemens, SAP sign cooperation deals with Saudi Arabia - officials
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (back) attend a deal signing ceremony in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia April 30, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia April 30, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef shakes hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a reception ceremony in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia April 30, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud stands next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a reception ceremony in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia April 30, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud stands next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a reception ceremony in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia April 30, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS
JEDDAH Saudi Arabia wants German companies Siemens and SAP to play an important role in furthering the kingdom's "digital transformation", company officials said on Sunday during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to the country.
Top executives at the engineering conglomerate and the business software company who were travelling with Merkel signed declarations of intent to work with the Saudi authorities, the officials said.
Saudi Arabia is pushing a long-term economic transformation dubbed "Vision 2030" to reduce the country's reliance on oil, attract investment and improve the lives of its citizens.
Siemens signed a framework agreement with the Saudi National Industrial Clusters Development Program (NICDP) which the German group said could lead to equipping infrastructure projects worth at least a billion euros.
The company also wants to provide vocational training in Saudi Arabia, while SAP has agreed with the Saudi Ministry of Planning to cooperate on the country's digitisation efforts, officials said.
The German business delegation travelling with Merkel on her Gulf visit also includes the chief executives of Lufthansa, national railway operator Deutsche Bahn [DBN.UL] and industrial services group Bilfinger.
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Greg Mahlich)