Minister Richard Bruton meeting with the Saudi Minister for Commerce and Industry Tawfiq Al Rabiah as part of the trade mission.

Minister Richard Bruton meeting with the Saudi Minister for Commerce and Industry Tawfiq Al Rabiah as part of the trade mission.

TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY and Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton have begun their trade mission to the Persian Gulf with Bruton meeting counterparts in Saudi Arabia this morning.

Bruton is in Riyadh and held meetings with the Saudi Minister for Labour Adel bin Mohammed Fakeih and Minister for Commerce and Industry Tawfiq Al-Rabiah in Riyadh.

The Department of Jobs said that Bruton and the Saudi Labour Minister had a ‘very productive discussion on a range of topics’.

Today there will also be meetings with the Saudi Higher Education Minister and with the Saudi entity of Irish firm John Paul Construction.

Kenny and Bruton will remain in Saudi Arabia tomorrow before travelling to Doha in Qatar on Tuesday and then onto Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE until Thursday.

Over 100 senior executives from 87 Enterprise Ireland companies are joining Kenny and Bruton on the trip with Enterprise Ireland saying that that it is part of plan to double the number of trade missions.