Is a Saudi Royal Visit to Rhode Island in Development? J. Michael Levesque
J. Michael Levesque
Is a Saudi Royal Visit to Rhode Island in Development? J. Michael Levesque
The column begged the question, “what are we doing to be part of that unprecedented investment?”
Until now, not much.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBut that can easily change with the simple will to do so.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Fahad Nazer, the official spokesperson for the Saudi Embassy in the US, who could not have been more gracious and forthcoming.
Fahad, who is from a prominent family, was appointed to the position in 2019 by Prince Khaled bin Salman, and is widely called upon by the major television networks, and other print and electronic media to provide the official position of Her Royal Highness Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, who is the Saudi Ambassador to the US and member of the Royal family.
Fahad, by way of background, was educated in the US, receiving his bachelor’s degree from New York University, and his master’s degree from St. John’s University.
He was previously a columnist for Arab News and was a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, DC as well as a non-resident fellow at the National Council on US-Arab Relations, also located in Washington, DC.
I wanted to find out “what’s next” from Fahad. My earlier conversations with His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal could not have been more optimistic.
Here are Fahad’s answers, unedited:
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN, HAD BY ALL ACCOUNTS, A VERY SUCCESSFUL MEETING WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP, LEGISLATIVE LEADERS, AND BUSINESS LEADERS DURING HIS RECENT VISIT TO THE WHITE HOUSE. WHAT’S NEXT?
Fahad: “HRH’s visit to Washington in November marked a new chapter in the history of the long-standing relationship with the United States. The relationship has not only endured over the past 80 years, but it has continued to strengthen and has also evolved over time.
Some of its original pillars – security cooperation and coordination on energy matters – are still paramount but now the relationship has broadened to include cooperation on artificial intelligence, renewable energy, supply chain resilience and space exploration. All of these dimensions were highlighted during HRH’s visit and are being bolstered as we speak.”
PRINCESS REEMA BINT BANDAR AL SAUD, AMBASSADOR TO THE US, HAS BEEN A CHAMPION OF WOMEN IN BUSINESS BOTH IN THE KSA AND THE US. WHAT WILL BE HER FOCUS AS AMBASSADOR FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS?
Fahad: “Her Royal Highness has been a champion for the empowerment of Saudi women for many years, even before her appointment as Ambassador to the US in 2019. She has been an advocate for women’s empowerment in the workplace as well as a leader in promoting financial literacy and women’s health. She has also been an advocate for the importance of Saudi-US relations and especially the critical role that business leaders play in strengthening the relationship.
Saudi-US relations have always been multidimensional and include academic partnerships, collaboration with the non-profit sector and engagement with state officials. Strengthening these relations has been central to HRH’s mission from the start and will continue to be so going forward as the relationship with the US continues to broaden.”
RHODE ISLAND, (ACCORDING TO MY CONVERSATIONS WITH POLITICAL LEADERS) IS VERY INTERESTED IN BEING PART OF THE REPORTED $1 TRILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN THE US OVER THE NEXT 5 YEARS. WHAT DOES THE STATE NEED TO DO TO PARTNER WITH THE KSA FOR THE MUTUAL BENEFIT OF BOTH THE STATE AND THE KSA?
Fahad: “Saudi Arabia is currently undergoing the most dramatic transformation in the world.
Since the unveiling of Saudi Vision 2030 ten years ago, we have diversified our economy, empowered all segments of Saudi society and revolutionized the delivery of government services. We have literally created entire sectors from scratch like tourism, entertainment and artificial intelligence American giants like General Electric, Bechtel and General Motors have been in the Kingdom for decades and now new giants – Google, Apple, Amazon – are helping the Kingdom move this exciting chapter in our history forward. At the same time, Saudi businesses as well as the Saudi Public Investment Fund considers the US economy to be one of the most robust in the world and a great destination to deploy capital and to look for joint ventures and partnerships. There is no doubt that business leaders in Rhode Island will find many opportunities either in the investments and partnerships that Saudi entities are making in the US or through opportunities in the many industries that are flourishing in the Kingdom.”
IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT HER ROYAL HIGHNESS MIGHT CONSIDER A VISIT TO RHODE ISLAND IN THE FUTURE?
Fahad: “Her Royal Highness has been keen on traveling to as many states as possible to learn more about them and to explore opportunities for cooperation across various sectors. Every state is unique in its own way and excels in some sector or industry and that creates many opportunities for collaboration and partnerships. If there is an opportunity to visit Rhode Island, I am sure that Her Royal Highness would love to visit the Ocean State.”
Rhode Island has a unique opportunity to DO something for its businesses, academic institutions, and organizations. The hand of friendship has been extended by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It’s now up to us to shake that hand and see what we can do together for our mutual benefit.
Rhode Island, with its unparalleled beauty, prolific academic institutions, and vibrant business sectors in the fields of interest, would be fools not to try to foster a deep and abiding relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the good offices of Her Royal Highness Reema bint Bandar Al Saud.
The clock of competition is ticking.
J. Michael Levesque is a former Mayor of West Warwick and is an international consultant with extensive relationships in Saudi Arabia.