Saudi weekly digest. XXXI

Last week’s news digest remained modest.

Let’s start with business and the economy.

Saudi Arabia has announced an economic support package worth $12 billion for Yemen, aiming to stabilise the Yemeni riyal and support the country’s economy.

Saudia, the national airline of Saudi Arabia, launched its inaugural direct flight from Jeddah to Beijing, marking a significant step in strengthening bilateral ties between Saudi Arabia and China. This move aligns with the Saudi Aviation Strategy to enhance air connectivity with key markets and cater to the rising demand from international tourists.

Saudi Arabia’s tourism minister has presented Riyadh’s candidacy to host the World Expo in 2030 to the government of San Marino.

Onto politics.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Saudi Arabia expressed gratitude to the Kingdom for hosting peace talks aimed at resolving the conflict with Russia. The discussions in Jeddah were described as “constructive,” with Ukraine proposing a 10-point peace formula.

Meanwhile…

The Kremlin expressed the need to understand the objectives of the peace talks held in Saudi Arabia regarding the war in Ukraine. While Ukraine clarified that Russia was not welcome, the Kremlin reported closely monitoring the proceedings.

Lastly, some more controversial opinions on the topic of Saudi-Israeli normalisation.

Prominent Saudi columnist Faisal J. Abbas expressed optimism about a potential peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, citing shared adversaries and mutual US alliances. However, Yoel Guzansky, a former Israeli official on Gulf affairs, offered a contrasting perspective that suggests that while some progress has been made, significant hurdles remain, with Israel largely a bystander in discussions primarily between Saudi Arabia and the US.

E2E views on last week.

Thrilling to see that Saudi Arabia mobilised an international summit to discuss peace efforts in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. The fact that it was hosted in Saudi Arabia shows that The Kingdom has come a long way in the last few years. Some years ago, it would have been hard to believe that Saudi Arabia would have the political capital to gather international representation on a scale to discuss global matters.

Concluding last week’s review, the fact that the Saudi-Israeli normalisation is discussed on a weekly basis is no less a matter of excitement than the peace talks hosted in Jeddah, given the normalisation's potential historical significance. While the topic still lingers, the divergent views highlight the potential peace deal’s complexity and uncertainty.