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Saleh Kh. Alfaiz, charge d' affaires of the embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is celebrating the anniversary of its unification today, contributed the following article to The Korea Times. ― ED.
Today our nation is celebrating and rejoicing the deeds of our founder ― King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud ― who unified our divided country and proclaimed a united kingdom ruled by the tenets of Islam.
Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, custodian of the two holy mosques, was proclaimed the sixth king of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Aug. 1, 2005.
Since then, King Abdullah has adopted a series of domestic and international policies that have had a positive impact not only on Saudi Arabia but also on the international community.
Among these are the kingdom's measures in fighting terrorism, and holding international conferences on energy supply, international crimes and environment problems.
Under the patronage of His Majesty, the World Muslim Congress for Dialogue was held by the Muslim World League (MWL) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, from May 31 to June 2, 2008.
It contributed to increasing mutual understanding among religions.
The moderate and balanced Saudi policy, under the distinguished leadership of King Abdullah, led the kingdom to play a leading role in the Islamic world, succeeded in achieving the prosperity and welfare of its people, and provided a helping hand to all those who were in need.
Bilateral Relations With Korea
Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1962, Saudi Arabia has been committed to the development of bilateral relations with Korea through cooperation in various fields.
Saudi has been one of Korea's main allies, actively supporting Korea's position on various fields including the peaceful reunification of the two Koreas, as well as being Korea's largest oil supplier and one of the largest trading partners among the Arab countries.
Korea stands as one of the 10 largest trading partners of the kingdom with bilateral trade totaling $39 billion in 2008.
The close relationship has been greatly cemented through visits of high-ranking officials and heads of state of both countries.
The highest level visit was by late former President Roh Moo-hyun to the kingdom in March 2007.
There were numerous visits by high-ranking officials of both countries in 2009. Some major visits are as follows:
― The visit of Abdullah Alsheeha, minister of higher education in June.
― The visit of Abdulrahman Al-Jafary, governor of the Communications and Information Technology Commission, in June.
― The visit of Abdulrahman bin Fahd Al-Faisal Al-Saud, commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force in May.
― The visit of Mohamad Bin Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, general secretary of Majlis Ash Shura, to Korea on the occasion of the Secretaries General Forum of Asia Pacific Parliaments held from July 7 to 11, 2009, in Seoul.
― The visit of Ahmad Saeed Al-Zahrani, captain of the Naval Force, in July.
― The visit of Park Jin, chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee of the National Assembly, to the kingdom in May 2009.
― The visit of Lim Chae-jin, then prosecutor general, to the kingdom in March 2009.
Such friendly cooperation between the two countries is reflected in the numerous agreements signed in various fields including technology, culture, aviation, investment and education.
There were visits of a 10-member Saudi youth delegation to Korea in July and August as part of an agreement signed between the two countries in 1981. Between then and 2008, a total of 489 youth delegations from both countries exchanged visits every year.
Also, the Saudi Youth Handball Team visited Korea in July, following the national soccer team for a World Cup qualifier match against Korea's national team in June.
Among the significant developments in the cultural field is the Arab Cultural Festival, organized by the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which has been held annually in Seoul since 2008.
In 2008, the Saudi Folklore Arts Band was introduced for the first time in Korea at the Arab Cultural Festival.
For this year, Saudi Arabia presented traditional craftworks as well as the beauty of Arabic letters through its calligraphy exhibition ― a collection of contemporary artworks by renowned Saudi calligraphers.
Furthermore, the Saudi Cultural Festival was held last year in October and November at the Korean Center for Arab and Islamic Culture in Incheon.
Both countries have also witnessed a big leap in exchanging information in the education field as well. Since March 2007, when the two governments signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in higher education, more than 70 Saudi students, funded by the Saudi government, have been studying at well-respected Korean universities under the King Abdullah Scholarship Program.
No doubt, students of both countries will gain priceless opportunities to broaden their views and promote exchanges between the two countries.
This year, the cultural attach? resumed his duty to head the Saudi Arabian cultural mission in Seoul to supervise the Saudi students under the umbrella of the embassy.
There are plenty of factors that make Saudi Arabia the right place for investment and joint venture projects.
With its vast resources and strong governmental support for attracting foreign investment, Saudi Arabia has become one of the main investment destinations not only in the Middle East but also in the world.
One of the recent U.N. reports ranked Saudi Arabia 18th in the world for attracting foreign direct investment. Moreover, located at the heart of the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has long been the center and entrance gate to the Middle East market.
Mutual cooperation between Korea and Saudi Arabia in research and advanced technologies will be very beneficial for both countries as the kingdom is especially eager to attract human resources, intellectuals and new technology from abroad.
In this regard, I would like to invite Korean businessmen and companies to participate once again in the development of the kingdom by joining hands with their Saudi counterparts in investment and other fields to open a new and more vigorous era of economic cooperation and partnership between the two countries.
Finally, I am deeply touched by the hospitality and warmth of the Korean people. I trust and hope that our relationship will deepen along the principles of peace, progress and prosperity for all.
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