RIYADH: A photo book, titled SAUDIA, which illustrates the Kingdom’s remarkable political, economic, and social journey over the past 75 years, has been developed in partnership with King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives. The pictures will be exhibited in Riyadh later this year.

Prince Sultan, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities and chairman of the Disabled Children Association, was presented a personalized copy of the jubilee photo book celebrating 75 years of Shell in the Kingdom.

The prince welcomed Shell’s initiative to document the Kingdom’s progress and thanked Shell for its active role in Saudi society.

“Royal Dutch Shell is a trustworthy partner that looks beyond short-term company benefits. Shell doesn’t just invest in projects, it also invests in people. Testimony to this is Shell’s acclaimed Intilaaqah program to train young entrepreneurs, the company’s road safety campaign, and the jubilee book SAUDIA will be used to raise funds to the benefit of the Disabled Children’s Association.”

Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Al-Naimi underlined Shell’s considerable contribution to the Kingdom’s economy over the past 7.5 decades by saying: “Shell’s leading technology and investments have helped the Kingdom increase its technical capabilities, diversify its economy and support a rolling energy efficiency effort. I am particularly pleased to see that earlier this year two Saudi universities participated for the first time in the Shell Eco-marathon — which shows that our young Saudi engineers have the creativity and know-how to contribute to a future of sustainable mobility.”

Shell’s Country Chair for Saudi Arabia Patrick Van Daele emphasized the long history and the strong links between Shell and the Kingdom as well as the hope for an ongoing alliance to the benefit of all involved.

“Shell is committed to Saudi Arabia, and we are pleased to have earned a position of trusted partner. As an industry leader in technology and innovation, we hope to take our partnerships even further. Tradition and innovation are in balance, both in this remarkable country and in Shell. We are determined to continue playing an important role in the Saudi economy and in Saudi society. The real owners of the Kingdom’s future are the young, and that is where we focus our social efforts,” he said.