Anticipation high for Saudi Crown Prince’s Fox News exclusive interview

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Updated 21 September 2023
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Anticipation high for Saudi Crown Prince’s Fox News exclusive interview

Anticipation high for Saudi Crown Prince’s Fox News exclusive interview
  • Broadcaster Bret Baier in Kingdom to discuss oil, reforms, and US relations with top officials
  • Fox News to speak to Saudi Crown Prince about Kingdom’s transformation

RIYADH: US broadcaster Fox News aired a two-day special on Saudi Arabia’s transformation this week, featuring an exclusive interview with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday.

Veteran broadcaster and chief political correspondent, Bret Baier, was in Saudi Arabia for the program, where he was given “unprecedented access” to top officials to discuss oil, social reforms, economic diversification, and relations with the US. 

“This country is one of the world’s largest oil producers, the origin of Islam, (and has) the world’s largest sand desert, the world’s largest oasis, the world’s largest airport,” Baier said in a promo for the channel’s special coverage.

“Politically, it is one of the most important places on the planet, as a cultural center for Arabs and Muslims, and its pivotal strategic location.

“Over the next two nights, we will bring you an exclusive, behind the scenes look at the Kingdom, to show you what it’s about, its beauty, its uniqueness, and its increasingly important role in world affairs.”

Baier met with Saudi Arabia’s ministers for tourism, economy, energy and sport to explore how the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 social reform and economic diversification agenda is moving the country away from its reliance on oil production and expanding into whole new industries. 

“We have to be sharp, we have to be ready, I tell my team, we need to do the impossible,” Faisal Al-Ibrahim, minister of economy and planning, told Baier in a segment about the transformation. 

“Vision 2030 is about unlocking potential. That’s the main objective of Vision 2030. It’s a blueprint of where we want to be and how we will get there. 

“It’s designed to address our long term economic challenges and risks through three things; diversifying the economy, empowering the youth of the Kingdom, and building institutions that can help carry this beyond 2030.

“It helps Saudi Arabia play a bigger role connecting the world, positioned where we are today. This is an asset we need to leverage and it’s about connecting energy, it’s about connecting data, connecting goods and services, connecting people, all for the betterment of the world at large.”




Faisal Al-Ibrahim, minister of economy and planning. (Screenshot/Fox News)

Vision 2030 is also about creating opportunities for young Saudis to study and work in a range of new creative and high-tech industries and to explore entrepreneurship. “Every day is a blank canvas with the Saudi youth,” said Al-Ibrahim.

“They’re painting pictures that we’ve never imagined could be possible more than seven years ago. So, this is just the beginning. We’re about to see more and more potential being unlocked and we’re very adamant to make this transformation count.”

Commenting on the crown prince’s style of leadership, Al-Ibrahim said it comes from a desire to improve the lives of Saudi citizens. “His leadership style comes from the ownership of the cause,” he said.

“He wants Saudi Arabia to be the best version of itself. He wants Saudi Arabia to be a global player that helps improve the world, a global change agent. He wants Saudi people and people residing in Saudi to live the best lives and to be able to contribute the most to this economy but also the global economy at large.”

BIO: Bret Baier

* Bret Baier, American anchor and journalist, joined Fox News in 1998 and served as the network’s chief White House correspondent during the presidency of George W. Bush.

* He covered some of the most important events in recent US history, such as the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

* He is best known for being the chief political correspondent for Fox and for hosting “Special Report with Bret Baier,” a nightly news and political analysis program on Fox News.

* Baier has interviewed political figures such as Donald Trump (2023), Barack Obama (2016) and Volodymyr Zelensky (2022).

One of the most exciting developments in the Kingdom is the growth of the tourism industry. Long closed to the outside world, only religious pilgrims visiting the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah were permitted to come to Saudi Arabia.

Now, thanks to the launch of tourism e-visas and massive investment in new leisure, entertainment and hospitality mega-projects, the Kingdom is well placed to become a global destination.

“Tourism is at the forefront of Vision 2030,” Ahmed Al-Khatib, the Kingdom’s minister of tourism, told Baier. “We’re unlocking this sector. We have doubled (the number of tourists) in the last two years and we will double (again) in the next two years. 

“We revised our targets. We revised it up to 150 million visitors, domestic and international. Seventy million visitors, international, by 2030. We will achieve 30 million this year out of the 70 million international visitors, and this is before the (opening) of Red Sea Global, NEOM, Qiddiya and Diriyah.”

Commenting on “The Line” — a completely new reimagining of urban living designed for the NEOM smart city in the Kingdom’s northwest — Al-Khatib confirmed that construction had commenced and that “1,000 percent, it’s going to happen.”




Ahmed Al-Khatib, the Kingdom’s minister of tourism. (Screenshot/Fox News)

“We have an advantage. We are building a new city and it is easier to build something from scratch rather than to transform something. Today, if you want to transform a big city like London or Paris or New York, it’s very difficult because the city was built over many, many decades. 

“It (The Line) will be the example of the future city where any one would love to live and experience how future living will look.”

Concerning the crown prince’s drive to transform the Kingdom, Al-Khatib said: “We are running very, very fast to catch up with him (the crown prince), honestly, and to deliver his vision.” 

Over the course of its programming, Fox News also spoke to Jerry Inzerillo, group CEO of the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, about one of the Kingdom’s most exciting new heritage tourism destinations, Diriyah.

“This is a very special place because this is the physical birthplace of the Kingdom and the ancestral home of Al-Saud,” Inzerillo told Baier.

“What you are looking at, this mud city, is 300 years old and in the famous oasis of Arabia, Wadi Hanifa, 30,000 people came and settled here 300 years (ago) and built a city of mud. So this is the source of national pride and a source of Saudi identity. This is the birthplace of the Kingdom. 

“Because this is a UNESCO World Heritage site, we didn’t want to treat it as an amusement park, a theme park. So in a vision of his majesty the king and the crown prince, we are embarking on a 14 million square meter masterplan, leaving the UNESCO site pristine and building a city that can take a hundred thousand people, 20,000 residents, 38 hotels, nine museums so we can attract 100 million people to come to visit the Kingdom.”




Over the course of its programming, Fox News also spoke to Jerry Inzerillo, group CEO of the Diriyah Gate Development Authority. (Screenshot/Fox News)

He added: “This is a very young nation. The median age of this nation is 29.2. Diriyah, where we have 2,000 employees, 85 percent are Saudi, 36 percent of our staff are Saudi women. But the crown prince is a young global leader, he feels like he can’t be optimistic for the future unless you’re grounded in your past, you have to feel proud of who you are as a Saudi.”

The Fox News coverage was not all focused on transformations, however. It also touched upon recent disagreements between Saudi Arabia and its long-time allies in Washington, particularly over energy and the push to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. 

On the matter of Saudi Arabia’s decision as part of OPEC+ to reduce oil production at a time when global oil prices were already high owing to the war in Ukraine, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the Kingdom’s minister of energy, told Baier the move was designed to stabilize oil markets, not to profiteer.

“We are not price driven, we are more or less stability driven,” said Prince Abdulaziz. “We are not siding with anybody. We are siding with our own national interests. We’re trying to protect our economy. There is huge ambition and we need to secure that ambition.”

He added: “What we’re doing has nothing to do with prices. What we’re doing is making sure that we reduce the volatility of the market.”




Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the Kingdom’s minister of energy. (Screenshot/Fox News)

The Fox News coverage dealt with more than just economics. Baier also spoke with Saudi Arabia’s Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, the minister of sport, who highlighted the Kingdom’s success in establishing and promoting women’s teams and leagues. 

“All the clubs now have women football teams. We even have a national team. Our official national team got into the FIFA ranking, where four or five months ago there wasn’t a women’s team,” said Prince Abdulaziz. 

“So now we’re in the ranking of FIFA, they’re playing a lot of competitions, a lot of friendlies to make sure that they climb up the ranking. We have a target for them to climb. But two years ago or three years ago, there wasn’t a national team. And now we have a league as well.”

Fox News also spoke with experts about how major reforms concerning the rights of women in Saudi society have offered a major boost to female participation and leadership in business, governance and civil society.

“The change is so fast and unbelievable,” Basma Al-Omair, founder and CEO of Behavioral Management Consulting Co., told the broadcaster. “My daughters now sit on four boards of directors. This wouldn’t have happened a couple of years back. 

“The beauty about it (is) they no longer see the glass ceiling. But we have a responsibility to tell them (the youth) that with freedom comes responsibility and this is why what we do right now is a lot of culture assessment within organizations to make sure that their policies are in place, the behavior and mindsets have actually switched.”

Also commenting on the reforms implemented since 2016, which included the lifting of the ban on women driving, Lina Almaeena, chairperson of Jeddah United and former Shura Council member, said the sudden transformation was the only way change could have occurred.

“It was a shock therapy, that’s what it really was,” Almaeena told Baier. “Because if we had waited for slow changes, it would’ve taken us decades for us to reach where we are today. We have actually surpassed so many of our targets, that we’ve put, that we’ve gone beyond and over even the new targets.”

Norman Roule, a former senior US intelligence official, likewise highlighted the transformation of the role of women in Saudi society. “A few years ago, women in Saudi could not drive,” Roule told Baier.

“The Saudis had a female astronaut just a few months ago be launched into space, from the US, by the way. Half of their astronaut program is composed of women. Their ambassador to the US is a formidable diplomat, HRH Princess Reema bint Bandar, the daughter of a famous Saudi diplomat. 

“I see a country that has undergone tectonic changes at a scale and pace and degree that no country in modern times has seen.”

With regard to the crown prince himself, Karen Elliott House, former publisher of the Wall Street Journal, believes the heir to the Saudi throne will play a major role in global affairs in the years to come. 

“I think he is and will be a transformational leader — the major influence on the course of the world economically and politically over the next half century,” she told Baier. 

She added: “He clearly intends to be a major figure on the world stage. I don’t think he’s inclined to slow down.”

 


Flynas launches operation base at Madinah, announces 6 new international, domestic destinations

Flynas launches operation base at Madinah, announces 6 new international, domestic destinations
Updated 02 December 2023
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Flynas launches operation base at Madinah, announces 6 new international, domestic destinations

Flynas launches operation base at Madinah, announces 6 new international, domestic destinations

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s low-cost airline Flynas on Friday launched its newest operation base at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The airline also inaugurated six destinations and routes, including two domestic flights to Abha and Tabuk, and four in the international category — to Dubai, Amman, Istanbul, and Ankara — to be operated alongside the other four existing destinations, from Madinah to Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Cairo.

It brings to 10 the total destinations that are now served by Flynas from the new operation base at Madinah.

Flynas, the leading low-cost carrier in Saudi Arabia, has now become the only airline with four bases across the Kingdom, in line with its expansion and growth plans and in parallel with the objectives of the Pilgrim Experience Program to facilitate access to the Two Holy Mosques, and the National Civil Aviation Strategy.

The strategy will enable national air carriers to contribute to connecting 250 international destinations to the Kingdom, as well as reaching 330 million passengers and attracting 100 million tourists annually by 2030.

Bander Al-Mohanna, CEO and managing director of Flynas, said: “Launching our newest operation base and inaugurating the new routes come in response to the high demand for Madinah, notably from pilgrims and visitors to the holy mosque.”

He added that more new destinations and routes will be announced in the future.

Al-Mohanna said: “Operating 10 routes from the new base as a start was made possible as a result of more than 100 percent upscaling of our all-Airbus fleet in less than two years, in line with the growth and expansion plan launched early last year under the slogan ‘We Connect the World to the Kingdom’.”

One of its key features was signing an agreement with Airbus for 30 new A320neo aircraft last June, as part of an order of 120 Airbus aircraft and approval to increase new orders to 250, he added.

Flynas connects more than 70 domestic and international destinations with more than 1,500 weekly flights and has flown more than 60 million passengers since its launch in 2007. It aims to reach 165 domestic and international destinations, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.


24th Saudi relief plane heads to Gaza Strip

King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center sends 24th relief plane to Gaza. (SPA)
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center sends 24th relief plane to Gaza. (SPA)
Updated 01 December 2023
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24th Saudi relief plane heads to Gaza Strip

King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center sends 24th relief plane to Gaza. (SPA)

RIYADH: The 24th Saudi relief plane, operated by the Riyadh-based King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), arrived in Egypt on Friday carrying 31 tons of aid, including food and shelter materials, the official SPA news agency reported.
The assistance, which was dispatched on Thursday, is to be transported to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
The aid efforts are in keeping with Saudi Arabia’s historic role in supporting the Palestinian people in times of crisis, the SPA statement said.


Saudi cultural event aims to put theater, performing arts in spotlight

Saudi cultural event aims to put theater, performing arts in spotlight
Updated 01 December 2023
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Saudi cultural event aims to put theater, performing arts in spotlight

Saudi cultural event aims to put theater, performing arts in spotlight
  • The Argentinian shows, which conclude on Dec. 5., have included circus and magic performances, a jungle show, and classic plays such as “Cinderella” and “Alice in Wonderland”

RIYADH: The Saudi Theater and Performing Arts Commission organized the eighth Urban Art event as part of a series of Argentinian shows being held at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.

The show, which runs until Saturday in the Blue Hall, aims to increase awareness about the theater and performing arts sector in the Kingdom and around the world.

The show, which runs until Saturday in the Blue hall, aims to increase awareness about the theater and performing arts sector in the Kingdom and around the world. (SPA)

After kicking off with a hip-hop performance, the show has featured acrobatics, bike jumps and skateboards, and showcased football skills to a background of tango music.

An accompanying educational exhibition included dishes presented by local Argentinian and Latin American restaurants. There were also specially designed photo booths and a shop selling Argentinian products and costumes.

HIGHLIGHTS

• An accompanying educational exhibition included dishes presented by local Argentinian and Latin American restaurants.

• There were also specially designed photo booths and a shop selling Argentinian products and costumes.

The Argentinian shows, which conclude on Dec. 5., have included circus and magic performances, a jungle show, and classic plays such as “Cinderella” and “Alice in Wonderland.”

In addition, the shows also help to bolster the Saudi Culture Ministry’s efforts to boost international cultural exchange, one of the goals of Vision 2030.  

 

 

 


Feathers fly at falcon festival

Feathers fly at falcon festival
Updated 01 December 2023
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Feathers fly at falcon festival

Feathers fly at falcon festival
  • The birds and their owners were battling it out in the 400-meter Al-Melwah competition
  • The star performer in the first round of the Gear Pure Category for Professionals was Amin bin Abdullah Al-Mallah

RIYADH: Professional falconers and falcon owners took part in four qualification rounds on Friday on the fourth day of the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival.
Organized by the Saudi Falcons Club and held in Malham, north of Riyadh, the birds and their owners were battling it out in the 400-meter Al-Melwah competition.
The star performer in the first round of the Gear Pure Category for Professionals was Amin bin Abdullah Al-Mallah, who took first and third places with his birds 0016 and 0018. Barghash bin Mohammed Al-Mansouri took second place.
In the second round of the Gear Pure Qarnas Category for Professionals, Armizan bin Abdullah Al-Dousari took first place with his bird Mutrib, followed by Amin bin Abdullah Al-Mallah with Duja and Al-Mansouri with Samdan.
Falconer Nour bin Ghazay Al-Mutairi won the third round of the Qarmousha Gear Category for Professionals with Al-Rafiha, followed by Abdulhadi bin Abdullah Al-Mutairi with SM and Fahd bin Mohammed Al-Mansouri with Al-Quri.
In the fourth round of the Qarmousha Gear Qarnas Category for Professionals, falconer Amin bin Abdullah Al-Mallah took all three of the top spots with his birds Al-Qahira, Al-Diriyah and Jim. The winning bird set a best time of 16.987 seconds.


Saudi Arabia wins membership of International Maritime Organization council

Saudi Arabia wins membership of International Maritime Organization council
Updated 02 December 2023
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Saudi Arabia wins membership of International Maritime Organization council

Saudi Arabia wins membership of International Maritime Organization council
  • 143 of the UN-affiliated agency’s 175 members voted for the Kingdom to serve on the 40-member council for the period 2024-2025
  • Saudi transport minister met with counterparts from Jamaica, Nigeria, Indonesia, Sweden and the Philippines as well as IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim

LONDON: Saudi Arabia has earned a place on the 40-member council of the International Maritime Organization for the period 2024-2025. The Kingdom received 143 votes from the agency’s 175 member states in an election at its headquarters in London on Friday.

The UN-affiliated organization is the global maritime authority that sets the international standards designed to ensure the safety and security of maritime transport, reduce pollution from ships, and implement initiatives that help preserve the marine environment and protect nature.

Saudi Arabia’s Transport General Authority described the Kingdom’s success in the vote as the culmination of the efforts and support of the nation’s leaders to develop maritime transport in accordance with the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 development and diversification agenda.

It is “a unique national achievement that propels us toward a promising future,” the TGA said, and “a cause for celebration” that reflects “unwavering commitment toward supporting initiatives aimed at safeguarding the marine ecosystem.”

The success is in recognition of the initiatives the Kingdom has adopted to protect and preserve the marine environment, it added, and it will provide the country with the opportunity to contribute to the development of international regulations and laws relating to global trade and maritime transport.

“The win serves as a confirmation of the Kingdom’s influential position and impact within the (IMO), the significant role of the Saudi naval fleet, ambitious initiatives and projects aligned with the national strategy for transportation and logistical services, and contributions and initiatives in safeguarding the marine environment and empowering seafarers,” the TGA said in a message posted on social media network X.

Under its national strategy for transport and logistics services, Saudi Arabia has adopted a number of initiatives and set ambitious targets that have contributed to the development of the nation’s maritime sector, officials said.

By 2030, the Kingdom aims to handle 40 million containers a year, facilitate clearing and cargo-handling procedures, and develop marine tourism through cruise ships and coastal transportation, taking full advantage of the Kingdom’s strategic location as a meeting point between East and West and the Red Sea’s role as a route through which 13 percent of global trade passes.

Meanwhile, the Saudi transport minister held meetings in London on Friday with several officials on the sidelines of the 33rd session of the International Maritime Organization Assembly, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser met with ministers from Jamaica, Nigeria, Indonesia, Sweden and the Philippines as well as IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim.

During the meeting, Al-Jasser also met with the Yemeni, Qatari and Bahraini transport ministers.

They discussed strengthening partnerships and employing innovative technologies in the maritime industry.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Britain was elected as IMO president by its member states. 

The IMO is the UN agency responsible for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships.