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Saudi Arabia, Greece Collaborate to Boost Sustainable Coastal, Marine Tourism

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed al-Khateeb and his Greek counterpart Harry Theoharis signing the agreement (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed al-Khateeb and his Greek counterpart Harry Theoharis signing the agreement (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia, Greece Collaborate to Boost Sustainable Coastal, Marine Tourism

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed al-Khateeb and his Greek counterpart Harry Theoharis signing the agreement (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed al-Khateeb and his Greek counterpart Harry Theoharis signing the agreement (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed al-Khateeb and his Greek counterpart Harry Theoharis signed Sunday an agreement for cooperation in sustainable coastal and marine tourism, on the sideline of the Coastal and Maritime Tourism Conference in Athens.

The Kingdom and Greece affirmed their commitment to the sustainable development of coastal and marine tourism in their countries.

The agreement dealt with exchanging knowledge and best practices in the field of investment, human capital development, training, event organization, marketing, and promotion to support sustainable coastal and marine tourism in Saudi Arabia and Greece.

The Saudi Minister described the agreement as “a positive step” between the two countries, and one of the fruits of international cooperation that will achieve a “more sustainable future for tourism and lead to addressing the repercussions of the pandemic on the global tourism sector.”

Khateeb stressed that the Kingdom is committed in its tourism projects to protecting the marine and coastal environment and supporting the sustainable development of the tourism sector.

For his part, the Greek minister said that coastal and marine tourism is the backbone of tourism offers in Greece, and protecting the ecosystems is a priority. He asserted he is looking forward to cooperating with the Kingdom to ensure the sustainable development of coastal and marine tourism in the two countries.

In May, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a United Nations agency, chose Riyadh for its first regional office in the Middle East and outside the Madrid headquarters.

The Organization chose Riyadh to host its first-ever regional office following the Kingdom’s development of its tourism sector, noting the great Saudi support made during the coronavirus pandemic.

UNWTO described Saudi Arabia as one of its most active members during the past three years.

The new office will serve as a hub for UNWTO to coordinate policy and initiatives across its 13 member states in the region. This includes a number of tourism projects and products, among them the new “Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO”, launched on the occasion of the opening of the Regional Office.

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Riyadh and Tokyo to Launch Coordination Framework to Boost Cooperation

Saudi Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghazi Binzagr. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghazi Binzagr. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Riyadh and Tokyo to Launch Coordination Framework to Boost Cooperation

Saudi Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghazi Binzagr. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghazi Binzagr. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia and Japan are close to unveiling a higher partnership council that will be headed by the countries’ leaderships in line with efforts to build a partnership that bolsters the technical transformation and joint research in clean energy, communications and other areas, revealed Saudi Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghazi Binzagr.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the two countries will soon open a new chapter in their sophisticated strategic partnership.

The new council will be chaired by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to push forward the Saudi-Japan Vision 2030, he added.

The council will elevate cooperation between the countries and pave the way for broader dialogue and consultations in various fields to bolster political, defense, economic, cultural and sports cooperation, he explained.

The two parties will work on critical technological partnerships that will focus on assessing and developing technologies to benefit from them, Binzagr said. They will also focus on the economy these technologies can create and in turn, the new jobs they will generate.

These jobs can be inside Saudi Arabia or abroad and provide employers with the opportunity to develop the sectors they are specialized in, he added.

Binzagr said Saudi Arabia and Japan will mark 70s years of relations in 2025, coinciding with the launch of Expo 2025 in Osaka in which the Kingdom will have a major presence.

Relations have been based on energy security and trade exchange with Japan’s need for oil. Now, according to Saudi Vision 2030, they can be based on renewable energy and the post-oil phase, remarked the ambassador.

Several opportunities are available in both countries in the cultural, sports and technical fields, he noted.

Both sides agree that improving clean energy and a sustainable environment cannot take place at the expense of a strong economy or quality of life, but through partnership between their countries to influence the global economy, he explained.

"For the next phase, we are keen on consolidating the concept of sustainable partnerships between the two countries in various fields so that this partnership can last for generations,” Binzagr stressed.

“I believe these old partnerships will last for decades and centuries to come,” he remarked.

Moreover, he noted that the oil sector was the cornerstone of the partnership and it will now shift to petrochemicals and the development of the petrochemical industry.