The Saudi royal address to the Shura Council is an eagerly anticipated annual event. In it, the King reviews the state's domestic and foreign policy before an official gathering closely followed by political circles and reported by the media. The significance of these annual royal addresses lies not only in their messages, but also in their timing and the political and economic climate surrounding them.
This year's annual royal address, delivered on behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, began by recalling an important event eagerly anticipated by Saudis: the Saudi state's celebration, on the upcoming Founding Day, February 22, 2027, of the 300th anniversary of its founding. It affirmed that over three centuries, the state has been founded upon the Qur'an and Sunnah, committed to monotheism and justice, and that it will not depart from this path. It will continue to preserve its heritage and authentic values, which grow ever more deeply rooted and stronger with time. In this context, the royal address praised citizens for becoming increasingly committed, day after day, to their pure faith and firmly rooted national identity.
To deepen our understanding of the address and read the substance of its remaining passages, it can be said that the state's historical depth, its firmly rooted Islamic approach, its service to the Two Holy Mosques, and its authentic identity have not merely served as a frame of reference for it. They have been a steadfast course maintained over three centuries. These were centuries in which the world witnessed major transformations that repeatedly altered the balance of power, changed the borders of other states, and shifted the orientations of their peoples and the priorities of their governments. The Saudi state remained, as it was at its inception, a home for the message of Islam and authentic Arab values, and an example to other states in stability and steadfastness of position. The Saudi people, for their part, have remained faithful to their enduring covenant with their leadership, with a loyalty rarely matched.
The royal address reviewed the state's achievements during the first decade of Vision 2030, as if to affirm that these achievements would not have been possible without the steadfastness of the wise Saudi governing approach over three centuries, based on the principles of justice, consultation, and equality. The state's domestic and foreign policy, while always requiring long-term planning for all possible changes, nevertheless means that "long-term planning does not mean standing still; rather, it means the ability to adapt to changes."
The address was not merely an accounting of the achievements of past years. It also went on to define the features of the next phase, despite the rapid transformations taking place in the region and the world, whose outcomes are difficult to predict.
When the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia launched Vision 2030 in 2016, it did not build it on the assumption of a stable world, but on the assumption of a changing world. It sought to build institutions better equipped to confront any crises and benefit from transformations. This was demonstrated in the state's successful handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, then in the slowdown in global economic growth, and finally in the unprecedented disruptions to supply chains resulting from the conflicts taking place in the region today. It was also demonstrated in the state's early investment, through its sovereign wealth fund, in the tools and sectors of the future, including artificial intelligence, which was given its name in 2026 as an announcement of its intended goal for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to become a global leader in the field.
The strength of states is no longer measured solely by the traditional resources they possess, but by their ability to possess and localize the technologies of the future and transform them into productive, intellectual, and economic capabilities. Therefore, the movement between the files of oil, mining, logistics services, and artificial intelligence in the address was not a transition between disparate subjects. Rather, it expressed a broader concept of national power that the Saudi leadership seeks to maximize.
The figures and percentages cited in the address did not serve merely to showcase achievements. They were also invoked to demonstrate that the Saudi economy has become more capable of dealing with crises through its expansion and diversification, particularly as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has previously managed crises and dealt with the repercussions of the security of maritime routes and their effects on energy, the lifeblood of the global economy. This has increased its ability to turn threats into opportunities that strengthen its position and highlight its capabilities.
Within the address, the political and security dimensions intersected with the economic one, leading to the most important picture: after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia launched a vision aimed at diversifying its economy away from total dependence on oil, and after the world recently witnessed the greatest disruption in oil markets in history, the Kingdom once again demonstrated that it is a safeguard for global energy supplies even under the most difficult circumstances. This came after its longstanding precautionary investment in alternative supply lines and facilities bore fruit, while the modern logistics system developed under the Vision served to maximize their impact and effectiveness in absorbing shocks.
From here, the Kingdom's initiative to establish a Saudi-led multinational maritime defense alliance can be understood as an effort to build an institutional framework to protect the arteries of the global economy and prevent the disruptions taking place from occurring.
In a related context, the formation of the "Makkah Defense Pact" came as an effort to build a collective deterrence capability among three Islamic countries, each possessing its own unique strategic weight. The royal address affirmed that "Gulf security and stability are indivisible," a renewed confirmation that the Saudi state's commitment to its alliances, past and future, is a steadfast and integrated commitment.
Although this phrase is not new in Saudi political discourse, its timing makes it more significant. Recent developments have demonstrated that threats, particularly in the Gulf, do not stop at political borders. The security of energy, navigation, airspace, and infrastructure has also become an interconnected system that states cannot address individually.
The royal address also expressed what all Saudis feel as immense pride in the brave heroes of the nation, from members of the various military, security, and economic sectors, who confront existing threats so that "security remains the country's umbrella, stability its shield, and prosperity its course," as expressed eloquently in the royal address.
The address also reaffirmed the Saudi political approach of not presenting force as an alternative to politics. This is a point that deserves attention. The affirmation that the Kingdom possesses human and military capabilities capable of deterrence came alongside an emphasis on the priority of de-escalation and support for diplomatic solutions. Saudi wisdom in giving precedence to peace and dialogue does not in any way mean ruling out the option of confrontation.
The invocation of history at the opening of the address, followed by the state's approach and constants, then the discussion of Vision 2030, and finally the challenges of the present and the transformations of the future, conveys a clear message in both its substance and sequence: a state that understands how it was founded knows how to preserve its principles and gains, and understands how to reach its destination along a path filled with challenges.
Between steadfastness in principles and flexibility in means lies an important feature of the story of the Saudi state. This remains one of the major themes running through the royal address.
