��������

��������ns today are dreaming with their eyes open. Our country feels younger and more dynamic than it has ever been, filled with the energy of its people and a sense of infinite possibilities.

Just under seven years ago, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced Vision 2030, an endeavor that surprised the world and was deemed by many outsiders to be overly ambitious or unrealistic.

Look at how our country has changed since, how many important projects have already become a reality, and how the spirit of Vision 2030 has transformed our very way of being. Looking back just a few years, it is remarkable to see the energy and enthusiasm that has since spread throughout �������� as we embark upon new projects, celebrate festivals, attend spectacular events, and find new roles and opportunities in our daily and personal lives.

You may have heard the parable of the Islamic scholar who was bent over, seemingly looking for something in an alley. A student of his asks him what he is looking for and he responds: “My keys.” Trying to help him by asking where he last saw his keys, the student is surprised when the scholar answers: “In my house.” “So why are you looking for them out in the alley?” the student asks. To which the scholar responds: “Because out here, at least there is a little light.” This parable is about our need to search within, but to me, it also speaks of the light that has spread through the streets of ��������, giving life to a new way of being and a new ��������n can-do attitude.

Our country is not defined by ideologies, by parties of left or right; it is defined by energy and movement, the opening of new possibilities. We are serving the future of the people of the Kingdom, not an old, fixed ideology.

There is a new spirit of cooperation and working together for the common good in our country. Just a few years ago, the red, orange and green traffic lights were taken more as a suggestion than as a rule to obey. Today, Saudis respect those traffic lights because they have a sense of living in a new world of speed, efficiency and safety, joining together to make things work better for everyone and affording anyone the safety to cross a road in freedom and hope.

There are almost too many projects, events, and realizations of Vision 2030 to mention them all here. We all think of the futuristic city NEOM and its new concept of The Line, a smart and sustainable city of the future. But there are many developments that have already reached completion.

We have hoisted our cultural treasures, such as AlUla or Diriyah, to new heights, making them must-visit destinations for our guests, and organizing festivals and events that have already brought together a number of appreciative attendees.

Our Red Sea coast is ever-growing as a major tourist destination, with fantastic new hotels and natural attractions. We are developing high-end infrastructure to welcome up to 30 million pilgrims in Makkah. And the New Murabba project in Riyadh, with its innovative Mukaab indoor city, should stun Expo 2030 visitors if the expo is awarded to us. The Trojena outdoor ski resort in the 2,600-meter-high mountains above NEOM is scheduled to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

As we embrace the digital era, registering a company or opening a bank account can easily be done online. Passports, trade and administration all run smoothly and digitally as the Kingdom expands and adapts its use today.

Business and trade are also transformed. Most people do not know about camel’s milk, yet it is becoming a sought-after export of ��������’s.

Our famous dates, also, are sold in supermarkets across the world. But it is the human adventure that is most important, and these projects are just one key to the new energy, optimism and can-do attitude of our country and its people, on every level.

Long-recognized in diplomatic circles for our mediation, negotiation and peace-making capabilities, �������� has been busy launching more peace offensives recently. We have opened our arms to countries like Iran to become true neighbors that work together, trade together and build bridges rather than walls. We have also sent out feelers to find a resolution to the conflict that continues to engulf Ukraine. Our privileged contacts with the West, Russia and China give us a unique role to play in ending disputes. Our approach could see us welcomed as the new peacemaker of this 21st century. As we have done in our country, we seek to build gates also for others, making sure they are open and ready to welcome others in.

The new spirit of �������� really means we are more than a country, we are becoming an international space for ideas, initiatives and a vision for the future.

The new �������� is a dynamic place where brains come to turn bold ideas into reality, and we assist in their implementation. We are incredibly fortunate and thankful for the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for setting us on this road and making so many dreams come true.

�������� welcomes the outside world to join in our vision of the future and to help us along the road. We are a country not defined by ideology but by the energy and eagerness of building a better world in a steady movement towards positive outcomes for the environment, for the less fortunate, and for peace. �������� welcomes the world to this new vision, and the world is thankful to Arabia for its shining example.

• Hassan bin Youssef Yassin worked with Saudi petroleum ministers Abdullah Tariki and Ahmed Zaki Yamani from 1959 to 1967. He led the Saudi Information Office in Washington, D.C. from 1972 to 1981, and served with the Arab League observer delegation to the UN from 1981 to 1983.