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On the 89th Anniversary of the National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the 23rd day of September 1932 was a glorious day in our history where the founding King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud had unified the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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| His Excellency Riyad A. Almubaraky |
This year we celebrate the 89th Anniversary, while the Kingdom continues the process of development and modernization in all fields, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the trustworthy Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz.
The Kingdom is experiencing a qualitative renaissance despite regional and international developments and challenges.
In recognition of the leadership's keenness to invest all national resources to serve the country and its citizens, the Kingdom's "Vision 2030" was announced, with its national contents, development and future plans, to diversify sources of income, increase efficiency of government performance, and to modernize regulations and administrative structure. Marking the beginning of a new phase of development and the hard work for better future, "Vision 2030" aims to keep up with developed countries, to achieve a comprehensive development, to employ the Kingdom's potentials and its energy, by taking advantage of the Kingdom's strategic location, while adhering to the genuine faith of Islam and preserving the genuineness of our society and its principles.
The Kingdom plays a key role in maintaining security and stability in the region, and it enjoys a regional, Arab, Islamic and international status, while playing an active and influential role in international decision-making, and its continuous pursuit for international peace and security.
Moreover, the Kingdom is one of the largest countries supporting the humanitarian and relief work in the world, aware of the importance of alleviating human suffering and ensuring a decent life for those who are vulnerable and needy. The foreign aid provided by the Kingdom during the last two decades amounted to more than $84.7 billion.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to praise the strategic, friendly, and cooperative relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Korea, which dates back to 1962. Through a long history, the two countries have witnessed a qualitative leap and great development in many fields, including politics, military, economy, education, culture, and health.
In June, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia paid a historical state visit to the Republic of Korea and met President Moon Jae-in.
Crown Prince Mohammed and President Moon stressed the importance of Saudi-Korea relations and showed high expectations toward economic projects between the two countries and Seoul's involvement in Saudi's Vision 2030 program.
During his two-day visit, he showed his keen interest in Korean companies by meeting with chiefs of Korea's top conglomerates.
The Crown Prince described ties with Korea as a "relationship of brotherhood," emphasizing Korea is a strategic partner of the Kingdom not only in economic area but also in politics, technology, security, and defense area.
The two countries signed memorandums of understanding on increasing cooperation between the governments and private sectors, which will open broader chance of cooperation.
The Saudi-Korean bilateral relations are a model of relations among nations, where they have often coincided with common positions on various international events, bilateral coordination, mutual understanding and mutual support in international bodies and organizations.
Both leaders of the two friendly countries have common interest and desire to strengthening relations and developing cooperation to achieve, promote and serve the common interests of both countries and their peoples and contribute to regional security, stability and world peace.
I sincerely wish our two countries and the two friendly peoples continued prosperity, security and stability.
Country Report
Official name: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Capital: Riyadh
Population: 33 million
Area: 2.25 million sq. km
Major language: Arabic
Major religion: Islam
Currency: Riyal
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| View of Mecca |
Historical, sightseeing places
In 2008, the Archaeological Site of Al-Hijr (Madain Salih) was enlisted to the UNESCO's list of the world cultural heritage as the first UNESCO's World Heritage property to be inscribed in Saudi Arabia.
Formerly known as Hegra, it is the largest conserved site of the civilization of the Nabataeans south of Petra in Jordan. It features well-preserved monumental tombs with decorated facades dating from the 1st century B.C. to the 1st century A.D.
The site also features some 50 inscriptions of the pre-Nabataean period and some cave drawings. Al-Hijr bears a unique testimony to Nabataean civilization. With its 111 monumental tombs, 94 of which are decorated, and water wells, the site is an outstanding example of the Nabataeans' architectural accomplishment and hydraulic expertise.
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| Night view of Riyadh |
Meet the Kingdom
Saudi Arabia is one of the most populous and richest nations in the Middle East, the heart of the Islamic and Arab world.
Located at the convergence of Europe, Asia and Africa, the Kingdom is a natural bridge connecting people and goods around the world, representing a crucial logistic hub for both global trade routes and for business expansions.
The Saudi economy has experienced an annual average growth rate of 4 percent over the past seven years, supported by a pro-business environment that quickly moves the investors to the heart of the Arabic market.
The Kingdom is fully committed to develop the Kingdom's investment environment: tremendous efforts in advancing the business ecosystem have been already made, and new measures aimed at making it easier to do business are already planned.
Saudi Arabia has launched the Vision 2030 aimed at enhancing its business environment and economic performance, by establishing clear priorities, solid alignment amongst all relevant stakeholders, and serious commitments in leveraging private investments.
The implementation of the Kingdom's project is detailed by 12 Vision Realization Programs, acting as unique roadmap for the whole country.
The new strategy and developments, as well as the positive fundamentals of the Saudi economy, set an unprecedented opportunity for the investors, willing to grow their assets and to succeed worldwide Saudi Arabia's multiple growing sectors such as entertainment, information technology, and financial services will open new challenges, promising high returns for all investors.
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It is the brainchild of the country's Crown Prince, HRH Mohammad bin Salman, to build a futuristic city-cum-economic-zone called NEOM (from the Greek neo, meaning new, and the Arabic mostaqbal, meaning future).
NEOM is envisaged as a hub between Europe, Asia and Africa, and a home drawing in people with the skills to create world-class businesses in industries from biotechnology to food, spread over 26,500 square kilometers (10,200 square miles) and along 468 kilometers of coast.)
