Russia is interested in investing in NEOM’s "The Line" project, Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), told Arab News in a recent episode of Frankly Speaking show.
Russia, an investor in the Hyperloop transport system in which the Kingdom is also partnering, will be studying closely the recently announced mega-project The Line, and is also considering other aspects of the $6 trillion worth of investment opportunities expected to be open for outside investment as part of the Vision 2030 diversification strategy.
“We really believe in the technology and we believe the ecosystem that will be created as a result of this project is definitely of interest to Russia,” Dmitriev said.
Elsewhere, Dmitriev said Saudi Arabia has handled the coronavirus crisis very well.
“If you look at the total number of cases, and the actions of the Saudi government, of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, you see a very strong response, a very aggressive response, that allowed Saudi to contain the virus probably much better than many countries,” he added.
“I think this is really a testament to your very efficient and very focused system, focused on testing, focused on really treating people early.”
Dmitriev also praised the Kingdom’s management of the G20 summit, held under Saudi presidency in 2020, which tacked crucial issues relating to vaccine development, medical investment and the financial response to the lockdown recession caused by the pandemic.
“This is a very important message as we fight this pandemic. We can defeat it only by working together — Russia and Saudi, Saudi and other leaders of the G20, and other countries — only by partnership can we really finish off this pandemic efficiently,” he said.
