The two governments held the seventh meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Portugal joint commission, on the second and final day of the Portuguese minister's trip to Riyadh, announced the Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning in a statement.

"The success of this meeting will be measured not only by the agreements we sign, but by the projects we implement, the investments we unlock, and the knowledge we exchange," said Saudi Minister Faisal Alibrahim at the beginning of the meeting, which was closed to the press.

In statements to Lusa after the meeting, Minister Castro Almeida highlighted that "many sectoral issues were addressed," such as security, cooperation in food security, technological and scientific cooperation, energy, environment, and agriculture.

Teams from both countries work on these topics permanently, and these meetings are held every two years to take stock. The eighth joint commission is scheduled to take place in Portugal in 2027.

The Portuguese minister's two-day visit included bilateral meetings with Saudi Arabia's Ministers of Economy, Investment, and Industry, and, on Sunday, the Saudi Arabia-Portugal Business Forum, which was attended by more than 50 Portuguese companies and, on the Saudi side, more than 150 businesspeople.

The program, says the Saudi government, "allowed discussions on promising investment opportunities and the strengthening of economic partnerships between the two countries."

The two governments also signed several memoranda of understanding aimed at strengthening cooperation and the exchange of information, particularly between ASAE (the Portuguese Food Safety and Economic Authority) and its Saudi counterpart.