Irish Trade Minister Mary Coughlan has left Saudi Arabia, following a business mission aimed at bolstering the construction industry.

The Enterprise Ireland-backed visit included meetings in Qatar, and saw the opening of the new Kentz Group Qatar Head Office.

A series of high level meetings at the Qatari Science and Technology Park, the Ministry of Municipalities (Public Works), and Qatari Diar Real Estate and Investment Company were also held.

Visits were made to Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Doha in Qatar.

The 64 Irish companies participated in one-to-one and sectoral group meetings with existing and potential customers.

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Engineering, project management and environmental services sectors related to the construction industry were called back for follow-on meetings.

A number of companies and organisations made announcements of agreements reached during the mission including the PM Group, Tetco-Voxpilot, Norkom Technologies and the Institutes of Technology in Athlone, Galway-Mayo, and Waterford.

Minister Coughlan said: "The Gulf region is a vibrant part of the world with substantial opportunities for our internationally traded services companies.

"The Governments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar are investing heavily in future proofing their economies in areas like physical infrastructure, the environment and communications. And they are open to working with overseas companies and consortia that can contribute to the realisation of their ambitious plans.

"The proposition put forward by our companies is value added expertise, products and services, with built-in flexibility and, above all, value for money.

"The clear message to global markets is Ireland is open for business and Irish companies are coming to talk to you about how they can contribute to your success."

(PR/JM)