PARIS: Saudi Arabia and France reaffirmed during a ministerial committee meeting in Paris on Monday their commitment to enhancing their partnership for the development of AlUla.
The meeting of the Saudi-French Joint Ministerial Committee on AlUla was co-chaired by Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, the Saudi minister of culture and governor of the Royal Commission for AlUla, and the French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot.
Other participants included the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan; Minister of Investment Fahad Al-Saif; and Abeer Al-Aql, CEO of the Royal Commission for AlUla. French officials included the culture minister, Catherine Pegard; the economy minister, Roland Lescure; and Jean-Yves Le Drian, head of the French Agency for the Development of AlUla.
Both nations welcomed the signing of an agreement that amended and extended the existing Saudi-French agreement on cultural, environmental, tourism, economic, human and heritage development in AlUla.
They reviewed the achievements so far under the partnership, discussed future areas of cooperation, and highlighted AlUla’s historical position as a crossroads of civilizations and its modern role as an emerging global destination for culture, creativity and sustainable development.
The officials affirmed their commitment to the further strengthening of their partnership, describing it as a model for international cooperation based on the exchange of expertise and mutual benefit. The participants also reviewed joint investments and cooperation in archaeology, arts, culture, sports, hospitality and the development of human capacity.
This partnership between France and the Kingdom includes major projects such as the Sharaan Resort, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, and the AlUla Tram, as well as investments in renewable energy, water and transportation.
The projects support the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to attract 1 million visitors and international investment to AlUla while preserving the governorate’s cultural and natural heritage, officials said.
