JEDDAH: The Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki, has stressed that Saudi Arabia is moving rapidly toward a different future in terms of the diversity of its economy which will no longer depend solely on oil.

“Saudi Arabia is on an upward growth path for a diversified economy, driven by the non-oil sector, which has grown by at least 5 percent. It is currently working on economic diversification in the areas of mining, information technology, security technology, agriculture, health, rail equipment and rail lines, and renewable energy which will see the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the first ranks of world countries.”

In an op-ed in USA Today, he addressed the American people and those responsible for US decision-making: “The United States was founded in 1776 and only 140 years ago did it give women the right to vote.”

He said, “When I went to England for my education, I was one of very few young Saudis who were studying outside the Kingdom. Today, there are more than 200,000 Saudi students studying abroad, and 55 percent of university students in Saudi Arabia are women.”

He told the American people of Saudi Arabia’s comprehensive strategic plan. “The Kingdom has developed a bold and decisive plan for inclusive growth in order to produce a diverse economy that ensures the existence of rewarding job opportunities. It will provide higher levels of economic well-being for citizens, provide more opportunities for education and health care for the population. Among the key pillars of the new vision is to focus on economic diversification, development of human resources, including the privatization of economic sectors such as health care, education and transportation.”

He said that the vision aims to stimulate innovation and diversification through the “National Plan for Science,Technology and Innovation” which supports more than 2,000 projects in the field of scientific and technological research.

He pointed out that Saudi Arabia was now the leader in using solar energy for the production of desalinated water which uses the latest technology in cooperation with international agencies such as NASA in the US.

He stressed that the rapid development Saudi Arabia had experienced did not occur in any other nation in history. He said that the Kingdom was currently working to promote transparency in laws, and the institutionalization of human rights organizations. It has carried out democratic elections for municipal councils, and worked to expand the powers of the Shoura Council.

The Kingdom continues efforts to provide security and guarantee peace and stability in the region and the world. Necessary actions in Yemen were taken when militias backed by Iran and Hezbollah tried to take control of the country. In Syria, the Kingdom has provided military and political support to end the civil war that has killed more than 300,000 people. Syrian refugees have also been given help.

He added that the Kingdom is engaged in a war on Daesh and is leading a coalition to confront terrorism and extremist elements.

The ambassador considered the attempts by the foreign media to lead people into making a harsh judgment of Saudi Arabia very unfair. He said that the modern Saudi state was only 85 years old and that in that time, the country had moved from an under-developed land to a modern state which is still in the process of transforming itself.