The European Union (EU) is holding its European Friendship and Cooperation Day celebrations here this year to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia, a European diplomat said recently.

"This year’s event on May 7 at the Saudi National Museum is going to focus on European explorers. It will feature seven EU embassies here," said EU Ambassador Adam Kulach.

He was speaking at a press conference attended by Jamal S. Omar, director general of the museum, and officials from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).

He said the event would be an opportunity to show how Europeans contributed to the development of the Kingdom and that they have extensive knowledge of this part of the world.

“European explorers started coming here a century ago. Some of them, like the British explorers, are known to the general public,” he said.

“We have a very important European community in the Kingdom. They are not only diplomats but also citizens from all walks of life — doctors, engineers, lecturers, professors and businessmen.”

“They came here not only to explore opportunities, but also to stay here because they feel at home in the Kingdom. They are committed to its development. Many of them landed here with their families especially in Riyadh, which they regard as their second home.”

“I have myself spent quite a long time here in two capacities — as ambassador of Poland and now ambassador of the EU, since 2012,” he said. Many people know cultural sites at Madain Saleh, Jeddah and Al-Ahsa “but not everybody knows every place in the desert. So it is a voyage of discovery,” he said.

He said there would also be Saudi movies screened to mark the “joint celebration of our cooperation and friendship.” Other events include exhibitions and music concerts, he said.

He said Europe Day is also important because it marks the end of the Second World War.

“We celebrate those events to mark the dawn of peace and cooperation ...”