LONDON: The visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Paris will include meetings with French business leaders and plans to build trade ties focused on “investments in the future.”
The two countries have a strong history of bilateral trade relations within the defense, infrastructure and aerospace sectors.
Former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls signed €10 billion worth of contracts in October 2015 in the fields of aerospace and military contracts on behalf of Airbus, transport, energy, health and food markets with French companies. France is also a major arms supplier to the Kingdom.
“We want a new cooperation, concentrating less on contracts and more in investing in the future, especially in digital and renewable energy, with a common vision,” the French presidency said on Thursday.
This statement suggests that the royal visit is about more than economics and looks to a deepening of cultural and political ties.
“Part of his visit will be economic, to say the least, but Saudi Arabia will also want to promote its Vision 2030 approach,” Scott Lucas, professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham, told Arab News.
The professor said he expects to see more alliances and deals forged with the French technology sector as Saudi Arabia continues the high-tech momentum from the crown prince’s recent visit to Silicon Valley. Lucas added that there could also be more deals for weaponry, infrastructure and clean energy. “There is a wide range of areas for possible cooperation,” he said.
Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammad Al-Ankary, Saudi ambassador to France, wrote on Thursday in the French publication L’Opinion that “the regularity of the bilateral visits testifies to the solid partnership between France and the Kingdom, which is based in particular on common strategic interests: The fight against terrorism and for international stability, the search for a convergence of views on regional crises in the Middle East and the Sahel.”
Al-Ankary added: “This visit has particular importance and meaning. The transformation of the Saudi economy, society and political life is under way. A young and connected country. What modernity would be possible without openness to tourism and culture?”
Chris Doyle, director of the London-based Council for Arab-British Understanding, said the cultural “opening up” of Saudi Arabia with new licenses for concerts and museums “presents a wealth of opportunities for countries with cultural exports, such as France.”
The crown prince’s visit will also be about building ties against terrorism and building educational and cultural ties beyond economic deals alone, Doyle said.
“Saudi Arabia hasn’t yet had many touristic visits from Europe, but as Saudi Arabia opens up there may be a possibility that this happens,” he added. Doyle highlighted renewable energy as another potential area for KSA-France collaboration. “Saudi Arabia has recently highlighted green energy as absolutely vital. Now green energy is experiencing such a rise, it’s only sensible that Saudi Arabia invests in it and that means partnering with the world’s renewable energy leaders.”
Doyle added that the crown prince has a major political agenda. “People aren’t sure where Saudi Arabia’s direction is going and he’s trying to explain his strategy to his three most important Western allies — the US, the UK and France.”
He said the true success of the crown prince’s trips to the West as regards how Saudi Arabia is perceived would be measured in the medium-to-long term. “The dividends of this trip may not be seen immediately, however, in the short term, there were no pitfalls or massive clash that undermined the visit — it went fairly smoothly,” he said.
“The tour of Crown Prince Mohammed is more focused on security, economy and business,” said Dr. Ibrahim Al-Qayid, a founding member of the Riyadh-based National Society for Human Rights. He said that the crown prince has lent all his support to “encourage entrepreneurship and foreign investment, and privatize state-owned industries... The crown prince’s support to women with an aim to integrate them into the workforce has started paying dividends.”
France and Saudi Arabia to ‘invest in the future’
France and Saudi Arabia to ‘invest in the future’
- The transformation of the Saudi economy, society and political life is under way.
- The tour of Crown Prince Mohammed is more focused on security, economy and business.
Experts call on people to prevent food waste
- Academics and specialists agreed that Saudi Arabia should implement new initiatives to combat the rising challenge of food waste
- Titled “Stop Food Waste,” the virtual event was organized by Saudi Platform in cooperation with Vision Platform
JEDDAH: Preventing food waste can be made possible through greater adoption of affordable and user-friendly technologies, best practices initiatives, and more awareness campaigns, experts who met at a recent virtual awareness meeting have said.
The academics and specialists agreed that Saudi Arabia should implement new initiatives to combat the rising challenge of food waste and loss effectively.
Titled “Stop Food Waste,” the virtual event was organized by Saudi Platform in cooperation with Vision Platform. It revealed that more than 33 percent of food is wasted in the Kingdom, which costs Saudi Arabia around SR40 billion ($10.66 billion) annually.
Najah Al-Omari, an international trainer and family counsellor, presented a video about recycling plant waste. Citing Qur’anic verses, she explained the difference between loss and waste and highlighted the importance of preserving food.
She presented a group of slides about Saudi citizens’ consumption of food compared to global consumption rates.
“The comparison between food waste rates reveals shocking numbers, after local waste exceeded global levels by a large margin,” she said.
Al-Omari presented a set of instructions on preserving food, reducing food waste, and achieving sustainability, and noted the extent of the impact of food waste on individuals in particular, and the country in general.
She also presented a set of practical solutions to stop food waste, some of which relate to the enactment of legislation.
Al-Omari discussed how specialized charitable organizations play a role in treating the impact of loss and waste.
Fahd Turkestani, an environmental expert, confirmed that such awareness meetings spread the culture of preserving grace and awareness in society.
He said: “In France, they ask the customer to take his or her leftover food with him (or her); and in Italy, they have put in place binding laws to limit waste. In Britain, the first supermarket was opened for leftover food.
“A restaurant in Chicago refused to use the waste bin for two years, forcing customers to consume all their meals; and in Denmark, the country succeeded in reducing food surplus by 25 percent, within five years, thanks to effective awareness programs.”
Turkestani called on the Saudi authorities to enact strict laws, including fines and penalties, to combat waste.
Meanwhile, Nouf Halawani, director of social responsibility projects at Savola World, reviewed the experiences and practices in the Kingdom during the past years. “New technologies are needed to reduce food waste,” she said.
Abdullah Osama Filali, chairman of the board of directors of the Hefz Al-Nema organization in the Makkah region, highlighted effective initiatives undertaken by the association to reduce waste, which included making agreements with hotels, restaurants, and wedding halls, to take surplus food, package it, and distribute it to the needy.
He pointed out that 800,000 meals were distributed during the year, benefiting needy families, after recycling and investing surplus food in these areas.
Music, art, local dishes stir the senses at Diriyah’s Ramadan market
- Live cooking, henna stations, oud and piano performers among the activities and entertainment at the market
RIYADH: Music, food and art are the sense-stirring offerings at Diriyah’s JAX Ramadan Market, which opened this week.
The Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale is hosting the market as a part of the “Layali Biennale” program.
“The (JAX Ramadan) market is such a cute idea ... the atmosphere, the music, the food, the people all of it is such a fun vibe for Ramadan nights,” Jood Marzouqi, a visitor, told Arab News.
The JAX Ramadan Market is open to the public from 8:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., until April 1, and offers visitors a taste of local Ramadan favorites with a modern twist.
Bateel Ismail, the food and beverage lead of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, told Arab News: “The JAX Ramadan Market has seven main selections of hot stations for live-cooking food and eight stations for other miscellaneous cuisines and products including chocolates, dates, tea, cheese, and specialty crackers.
“We also present a henna station and live activities for families.”
Ismail said: “We curated a diverse range of businesses that offer unique and high-quality products. We also considered factors such as the authenticity of the products, the cultural significance, and the ability to provide a delightful experience for visitors.
“The goal was to create a vibrant and enjoyable market that showcases the best of Ramadan’s most famous food.”
The market featured live oud and piano performances for guests to enjoy while shopping.
To foster Ramadan’s community spirit, the market has set up a long table where guests can sit together to eat and chat.
One of the booths named Balila Al-Hijaz offers boiled chickpeas with toppings of pickles and spices including cumin.
A variety of stuffed dates can be found at several booths including The Flavors of Hijaz and Musa & Palm. On the dessert side, Najd Luqaimat has fried dough balls stuffed with cheese, drizzled with honey, chocolate or other syrups.
Visitor Marzouqi said the market captures the spirit of the holy month. “I grew up in Jeddah. Having food with friends and hanging out, was our most memorable tradition during Ramadan in Jeddah.”
She added: “Since I’ve moved to Riyadh, I started missing that, and I heard about this market; and honestly it feels similar to Jeddah. It’s a little different but the vibes, atmosphere and energy truly remind me of a Ramadan back home.”
When asked, Marzouqi said her favorite booth was “definitely the Flavors of Hijaz.”
“I wish it (the market) was bigger. The space is smaller than I expected, but it’s still a fun activity for Ramadan nights.”
Also at the market, The Truffleers, a Saudi Arabia luxury chocolate truffle company, featured several varieties of their products including salted-butter caramel truffles, pure chocolate truffles, Arabian coffee beans, and cookie crisps.
The Truffleers was launched three years ago in Dhahran and has now expanded across the Kingdom.
Wijdan Hussein, operations manager of The Truffleers, told Arab News: “We have seven locations within the Kingdom and we are participating in events such as the JAX Ramadan Market. We are showcasing our chocolate truffle products.
“Our participation in the market today has been very nice, the atmosphere is wonderful, and everything is very beautiful.”
Another booth featuring handmade Saudi Arabia desserts is Okay by Sara, a sweets company that displays their take on ghorayebah, a type of local butter cookie.
Afnan Mahmoud, a sales representative from Okay by Sara, said: “All of our desserts are handmade and come in different designs, based on the occasion you have. For example, if you order dessert for the occasion of Ramadan or any celebration we will specialize it and design it for you.”
Saudi Arabia’s KSrelief donates tons of dates and food aid to families in need
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has donated 40 tons of dates to Malaysia and Poland, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
In Warsaw, Poland, 15 tons of dates were handed over, while in Malaysia a further 23 tonnes were distributed as part of the agency’s ongoing work to assist those most in need.
On Wednesday, meanwhile, the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance launched the Kingdom’s gift program to distribute dates and iftar meals in Amman, Jordan.
The first stage involves the delivery of approximately 5 tons of dates to more than 20,000 people.
The second part of the program aims to provide iftar meals to over 7,000 people.
KSrelief also provided 2,900 food aid parcels to Montenegro, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Benin and Sudan, benefiting 14,275 people.
Crown prince receives governors of Saudi regions
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has received governors of the Kingdom’s regions following their 31st annual meeting, the Saudi Press Agency said early Thursday.
The Crown Prince was briefed on the most prominent topics discussed at the annual meeting.
He commended the governors’ efforts to serve the country, citizens and residents, and their work to achieve comprehensive development.
Saudi Arabia to host conference on role of universities in promoting peaceful coexistence
- The event will take place at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University on April 28 and 29
RIYADH: Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh will host an international conference next month titled “The Role of Universities in Promoting the Values of National Belonging and Peaceful Coexistence.” It will take place on April 28 and 29 under the patronage of King Salman.
Ahmed bin Salem Al-Ameri, the president of the university, thanked the king for his support and said the aim of the event is to “highlight the experiences of universities in promoting these lofty values, and to demonstrate the importance of correct doctrine and the approach of moderation,” the Saudi Press agency reported on Wednesday.
The participants will include leaders, dignitaries, scholars and intellectuals from the Kingdom and other countries, he added, who will share their specialist legal, scientific and social expertise during lectures, discussion sessions and workshops.