JEDDAH, 20 February 2005 — As part of his first ever visit to Jeddah and the Jeddah Economic Forum, Prince Andrew addressed a gathering of British and Saudi businessmen yesterday. During his visit, he will be speaking at the forum in his capacity as peripatetic representative of British trade and industry.
The lunch, hosted by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and the British Businessman’s Group, was an opportunity for Prince Andrew to comment on the Western media which he described as “not exactly helpful in its reporting of what is going on in this part of the world.”
He opined that this was counter productive to good relations between Saudi Arabia and the UK generally, and “to business and commercial relationships that are so evidently needed.”
Noting that the events of 9/11 were a turning point for relations and commercial history he thought that since then the Middle East had come to terms with a number of issues, an oblique reference to terrorism in the area.
“That is not to say that these issues are completely dominating what is going on. There are a great many successful businesses in this part of the world, partnerships between ourselves and Saudi Arabia,” he said. “We should not only recognize those, we should congratulate you for that sort of relationship and sticking with it.”
Referring to the UK’s own handling of the long term situation in Northern Ireland, he said that it had taken the UK more than 30 years to deal with Ireland with the IRA. “The security issues here will not go away in the short term. Nobody is pretending that they will. But they are being very successfully disrupted by the SA government.”
Prince Andrew posed the rhetorical question to the business communities of Saudi Arabia and London: “Would you have deserted Northern Ireland in the same way that we have seen some desert this part of the world? “I wish to congratulate those people who have stayed here and offer support for what you have done.”
He described his role as UK special representative for international trade and investment as one of opening doors where the business community alone might not have been able to. Referring to his 22-year career in the Royal Navy, he said that it was only on leaving and meeting people in business that he realized that “the engine room is you business people, you are the people who build prosperity and build relationships. You are the people who build partnerships and break down the barriers of misunderstanding between nations.”
He aid that he was determined to come back to the Kingdom on a regular basis to meet, sit and talk with Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabians — “because I believe that this is the way to encourage business in the future.”
