“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Albania enjoy cordial relations of friendship which have always been characterized by such mutual trust and support, reflecting the keenness of both countries to strengthen and develop this relationship in a way that serves their common interests,” has said the Saudi Ambassador to Albania, Faisal bin Ghazi Hifzi in an exclusive interview with Albanian Daily News.

The Ambassador announced that it is expected an increase in the economic cooperation between the two countries, as the Kingdom is looking for investment opportunities and partners to work with, in order to achieve the goals of Vision 2030. 

This friendship has been recently crowned by a non-refundable grant as Saudi Arabia provided to Albania an amount of $50 million to help and support its development in light of the economic crisis resulting from the global energy crisis.

In the meantime, Saudi top diplomat in Tirana said that there will be more direct cooperation between the two countries in combating organized crime, cybercrime, terrorism and all other forms of illegality that undermine the security in Albania. This was evidenced by the visit of the Interior Minister, Bledar Cuci to Saudi Arabia in February, 2023, during which the first agreement between the two countries in the security field was signed.      

Speaking of thecontinuous modernization processes and the massive transformation the Kingdom is undergoing, Ambassador Hifzi said Saudi Arabia will be the world's fastest-growing major economy in 2023, in accordance with its economic foundations, religious beliefs, historical heritage and culture of its people. Five years ago the Kingdom launched the "Vision 2030", and according to the Ambassador during this period it has been enabled the establishment of infrastructure, along with the institutional and legislative structures, and the development of public policies and initiatives. In this frame he presented some of the main achievements.

Regarding the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Ambassador Hifzi said given its seriousness and repercussions worldwide, the Kingdom is making every possible effort towards finding peaceful solution to this conflict “This is clearly reflected in our votes and speeches, as the Kingdom supported the United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning the "Russian aggression against Ukraine" due to the Kingdom's belief in the principle of respecting the sovereignty of states, preserving their political independence, territorial integrity and national unity.”

According to him, Saudi Arabia has confirmed its willingness to make mediation efforts towards settling this dispute and fully supports efforts aimed at reducing escalation, protecting civilians, and settling the dispute by peaceful means and through dialogue, in order to end the conflict and stop military operations, thus contributing to restoring regional and global security and stability.

An important move for restoring regional and global security and stability can be considered the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to end their seven-year rift and restore diplomatic ties as part of a China-brokered deal aimed at reducing tensions in the oil-rich region. The agreement, reached on March 10, 2023 following a meeting in Beijing, will lead to the reopening of their respective embassies within two months as well as the activation of security co-operation arrangements, it is said in a joint statement.

The Ambassador said that his country attaches great importance to the situation in Balkans, maintaining good relations with all regional countries. “In this context, we strongly support international efforts that encourage both Kosovo and Serbia to move forward towards settling their disputes and reaching a peace agreement, particularly the European Union's proposal on normalizing relations between the two countries.” 

Asked about his opinion on the Albanian people, the friendship with Saudi people and the perspective of greater people-to-people exchanges,the Ambassador said the Saudi and the Albanian peoples are similar in many aspects, as both peoples are generous and hospitable, sharing the same concepts of family bonding and its importance. “The Saudis enjoy spending their holidays in the Republic of Albania because of the warm welcome they receive from the Albanian people,” said Saudi Ambassador Faisal bin Ghazi Hifzi in the following interview:

Albanian Daily News: First of all thank you Mr. Ambassador for sharing opinions with Albanian Daily News as we left behind 2022 embarking on a new year. Having said this, it is an opportunity for our readers to learn from you on a balance sheet of the cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Albania, which has covered many fields.

Saudi Ambassador Faisal bin Ghazi Hifzi: First of all, I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to express my opinions through your esteemed newspaper. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Albania enjoy cordial relations of friendship which have always been characterized by such mutual trust and support, reflecting the keenness of both countries to strengthen and develop this relationship in a way that serves their common interests. This friendship has been recently crowned by a non-refundable grant that the Kingdom provided to the Republic of Albania, an amount of $50 million, to help and support Albania’s development in light of the economic crisis resulting from the global energy crisis.

- As a follow up, Your Excellency, which are some of the key events expected in 2023 between the two countries and what would you say about the level of the relationship between the two countries?

We expect an increase in the economic cooperation between the two countries, as the Kingdom is looking for investment opportunities and partners to work with, in order to achieve the goals of Vision 2030. The Republic of Albania is an ally of the Kingdom, and the relationship between the two countries have always been characterized by friendship, esteem and reciprocal cooperation.

- Albania has been a target of cyber-attacks of institutions and it accused Iran of directing such an offensive in a bid to paralyze public services and hack data and electronic communications from the government systems.  Mr. Ambassador, was there any joint effort by the two countries to promote and coordinate international efforts to keep peace in cyberspace and develop specialized capabilities to ensure that efforts continue in the face of cybersecurity threats, as well as take strict measures to combat these threats?

- Saudi Arabia Ranks Second Globally in Cybersecurity Index according to World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) for 2022 and seventh globally according to the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking for 2022. No doubt that the Kingdom is ready to provide support and share its expertise with the sisterly Republic of Albania in the field of cybersecurity, in support of its efforts to combat these threats and strengthening its cybersecurity in the future.

This was evidenced by the visit of the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Albania, Bledar Cuci, to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in February, 2023, during which the first agreement between the two countries in the security field was signed, and thanks to this agreement, there will be more direct cooperation in combating organized crime, cybercrime, terrorism and all other forms of illegality that undermine the security in the Republic of Albania.

- Since its foundation in 1932, Saudi Arabia has witnessed remarkable growth and has achieved successes through the efforts of its wise leadership in achieving the desired developments in all areas. Mr. Ambassador, what are the expectations for the accomplishment of the target of placing Saudi Arabia in the ranks of developed countries and enable the Kingdom to play its leading and constructive role in the international arena?  

- The continuous modernization processes and the massive transformation the Kingdom is undergoing, along with several mega-projects announced recently, represent an internal desire based on creativity not copying and reflect His Highness the Crown Prince's belief and his great keenness to make the Kingdom one of the most advanced countries in the world. Saudi Arabia will be the world's fastest-growing major economy in 2023, in accordance with its economic foundations, religious beliefs, historical heritage and culture of its people. Five years have passed since the launch of "Vision 2030", during which the enabling infrastructure was established, along with the institutional and legislative structures, and the development of public policies and initiatives. Some of the main achievements can be presented as follows:

-New historic sites in Saudi Arabia have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

-An increase in the capacity of the Kingdom to receive the pilgrims.

-The introduction of the Tourist E-visa in order to facilitate the process of applying for a visa and open the country up to foreign tourism, making the tourism sector in the Kingdom the fastest growing and best performer with a growth rate of 14%.

-The projects launched within "Vision 2030" have contributed to improving the quality of life in the Kingdom, by hosting and organizing several famous sporting events in the world.

-The Public Investment Fund has doubled its assets to 1.5 trillion riyals by 2020 from $570 billion in 2015. The Kingdom has moved up to the 12th rank in the Venture Availability of Capital Index in the Global Competitiveness Report 2020 and ranked third globally in Minority Investor Protection Index. Moreover, the Kingdom advanced to the 24th position globally in the Global Competitiveness Report 2020 after ranking 39th in 2018.

-The acceleration in the growth of the non-oil GDP ratio reached 59% in 2020, compared to 55% in 2016. Non-oil revenues also increased to reach SR369 billion in 2020, compared to SR166 billion in 2015. -The work is currently underway to develop a list of mega projects in the city of Riyadh, to transform the capital into one of the top 10 city economies globally.

-According to the smart cities Index by the Institute for Management Development (IMD), Riyadh ranked as the third-smartest city among the capitals of G20 states.

-The Kingdom ranked as the second best country among 63 countries, in terms of performance in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2022.

-The Kingdom ranked 1 globally in the index of digital transformation in companies in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2022.

- In the meantime the Russian aggression against Ukraine besides the tragedy caused against the Ukrainian people has its repercussions worldwide. In this frame could you please tell us how Saudi Arabia has coped with the situation given that it is the leading oil importer?

- Being aware of the seriousness of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, and its repercussions worldwide, the Kingdom is making every possible effort towards finding peaceful solution to this conflict. This is clearly reflected in our votes and speeches, as the Kingdom supported the United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning the "Russian aggression against Ukraine" due to the Kingdom's belief in the principle of respecting the sovereignty of states, preserving their political independence, territorial integrity and national unity.

Since the outbreak of the crisis, the Kingdom has taken balanced stances towards the Russian- Ukrainian crisis which have been welcomed by both countries, taking into consideration that the Kingdom enjoys strong ties with Russia and Ukraine in various fields, relationships which His Royal Highness the Crown Prince seeks to utilize in reaching a peaceful solution.

His Royal Highness attaches great importance to making humanitarian efforts in addition to political ones with various countries to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, out of His keenness to achieve global and regional security, peace and stability. The Kingdom's neutral position enables it to deal with the Russian and Ukrainian sides and to provide its good offices in mediating a solution to this crisis, in compliance with the principles of international humanitarian law and the United Nations Charter. My country has confirmed its willingness to make mediation efforts towards settling this dispute and fully supports efforts aimed at reducing escalation, protecting civilians, and settling the dispute by peaceful means and through dialogue, in order to end the conflict and stop military operations, thus contributing to restoring regional and global security and stability.

His Highness the Minister of Foreign Affairs signed during His visit to Ukraine, two agreements to provide humanitarian support to the Republic of Ukraine at a value of 410 million (including food and medical supplies, in addition to providing a grant of oil derivatives to Ukraine).

The Kingdom considers the stability and balance of the oil market, as one of the pillars of its energy strategy, due to its belief that oil is an important element to support the growth of the global economy, and is eager to continue working with the "OPEC Plus" agreement for its essential role in the stability of oil markets. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also emphasizes the importance of the commitment of all participating countries to the agreement, as the supply and demand in the oil market is currently balanced and there are no problems with oil supplies, as the current rise in prices is a reaction to the current events. The Kingdom's oil policy is represented by a commitment to balance supply and demand in energy markets, and to ensure the stability of its supplies.

- Let me touch upon the Western Balkans, a region that Saudi Arabia has overall relations with. What can you say, your Excellency, on the tense situation in the region and how do you see the perspective of a long standing solution to the conflict between Kosovo and Serbia?

- It is important to highlight that my country attaches great importance to the situation in Balkans, maintaining good relations with all Balkan countries. The Kingdom's foreign policy is committed to the principles of good neighborliness, strengthening relations and building bridges of cooperation and dialogue through mutual respect and understanding. In this context, we strongly support international efforts that encourage both Kosovo and Serbia to move forward towards settling their disputes and reaching a peace agreement, particularly the European Union's proposal on normalizing relations between the two countries.

- I would like to conclude with an opinion of yours on the Albanian people, the friendship with Saudi people and the perspective of greater people-to-people exchanges in all fields.

- The Saudi and the Albanian people are similar in many aspects, as both peoples are generous and hospitable, sharing the same concepts of family bonding and its importance. The Saudis enjoy spending their holidays in the Republic of Albania because of the warm welcome they receive from the Albanian people.