Al-Ahsa is expected to be a strategic location for several new development projects that would benefit all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
This is according to Mayor of Al-Ahsa Adil Al-Milhim, who said this includes the development of a GCC-wide railway line running through all the countries, which includes the border points Saudi Arabia shares with Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman.
There would also be airports and ports developed jointly with additional causeways built between the Kingdom from Al-Ahsa with Bahrain over 40 km, and another with Qatar over 25 km.
Al-Milhim said there are also plans to develop farming areas in Aqir over 115 million square meters, a further 11 million square meters set aside for the port in the area, and 9 million square meters for an industrial city.
Further development includes an energy city with Aramco over an area of 185 million square meters, a medical city, a solar energy station, and an industrial city in Salwa over an area of 300 million square meters, he said.
Al-Milhim said the plan was in line with Vision 2030 which includes cluster economic cities in Aqir, Salwa and Batha in order to boost economic cooperation between the Kingdom and the other GCC countries.
Other projects include tourism and entrainment developments, including on the Aqir coast, and Nakhla City in Batha.