The German Chancellor has just returned from Riyadh
after she expressed her gratitude to King Abdullah Bin
Abdulaziz for the success of the Saudi forces in
securing the release of two German girls held in Yemen
in what was a successful and distinctive operation.
Today, Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz arrived in Berlin,
after receiving an official invitation, where he was
warmly welcomed by the figures he met. What was also
noticeable were the crowds that received the prince in
front of the hotel with applause in the second of such
scenes after what we saw in Oslo, Norway.
The visit broadly comes under the banner of
politics and economics. Through discussions with a
number of German and Saudi figures, it became clear
that both sides were concerned with consolidating
investment opportunities and strengthening ties
between the two countries. What’s strange is that both
sides, Saudi Arabia and Germany, attributed the
decrease in investment opportunities and cooperation
between the two sides to their weakness in marketing
themselves; this is what the Germans say about
themselves and this is what Saudis also often say
about themselves.
During a meeting between Prince Salman and some
company directors and scientists, a number of German
company officials said that they are keen on investing
in Saudi Arabia and in Riyadh in particular. In fact
they praised [the level] reached by the Saudi city
under the tutelage of Prince Salman [the Governor of
Riyadh]. We also heard other company directors saying
that the amount of Saudi products imported into
Germany is not enough. Therefore, Germany is an
important state economically, politically and
scientifically, and by merely strengthening ties with
it and working with it towards twinning the German and
Saudi capitals is considered important and necessary
work, especially in light of the volatile economic and
political situations.
There is no concern in Europe today with the
exception of the economy, and there are fears of the
repercussions of terrorist activity; Saudi Arabia has
economic weight and more importantly, it has Islamic
religious weight. Economically, Saudi Arabia works
seriously towards sustainable development in all
fields and it needs scientific and economic companies
on the German level, just as Saudi Arabia, as we
mentioned before, has an important Islamic role in
bringing religions closer together and there is the
interfaith dialogue that was presented by King
Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz. As a result Saudi Arabia is
able to strengthen the language of moderation, and
work towards removing this unjustified fear through
dialogue, and to strengthen the understanding of the
nature of Islam which calls for tolerance and not
violence and extremism.
Truthfully, Prince Salman and the clear stance on
numerous issues that was felt by the observers will
help strengthen cooperation, especially as Riyadh has
political and economic weight that cannot be ignored.
In most discussions, Prince Salman’s position was
clear, whether he was talking about the importance of
education, investment, or women’s issues. There is a
story that must be told here; during his visit to
Norway, an official asked the Prince, “Your Highness,
you have spoken at length about the position of women
in Saudi Arabia and the opportunities that are
available to them today. Allow me to ask you a certain
question: will we be able to see a female Saudi
minister?” The Prince’s answer was quick and direct,
with no hesitation, “What’s preventing that!” The
Norwegian official said, “Ok. Let’s change the
subject.”
Therefore, the mere thought of some kind of
twinning project between Riyadh and Berlin is
considered an excellent and desirable matter; all
that’s required is more visits between the two
countries and more openness towards one another, as
the success of the Saudi security operation that
rescued two German girls prompted the Germans and it’s
as if they only just discovered Saudi Arabia. At the
same time there is a lot that the two countries can
benefit from.