Saudi Arabia is opening up to the world as it embarks on its pursuit of Vision 2030, said Fahad Nazer, the spokesman for the Saudi Arabian Embassy in the United States. "We want American companies to come to Saudi Arabia to build offices, to build factories, to invest in our country and invest in our youth. With Vision 2030, we are opening up to the world," Nazer was quoted as saying by "Colorado Politics," a news website, during a webinar organized by the Colorado Springs World Affairs Council on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia began issuing tourist visas for the first time in 2019, the spokesman for the Saudi Embassy in the US, said, highlighting the country's abundant historic sites, pristine beaches and sprawling mountain trails. Answering a question on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Nazer said: "Let me make this very clear: The murder of Jamal Khashoggi was a horrendous crime," Nazer said. "It was a heinous crime. It was something that has never happened in our history. It is simply not how we do things. It was an egregious affront not only to our values but an egregious violation of our laws." He said Saudi authorities are analyzing what happened to make sure it never happens again. "Nobody was more shocked by this than us Saudi people," the spokesman said. Nazer talked about the long Saudi-US alliance, spanning Republican and Democratic administrations. He noted that Saudi soldiers fought "side by side" with Americans in expelling Iraq from Kuwait in 1990 and again in 2014 when they took on Daesh (the so-called ISIS) in Syria and Iraq. The two countries have a common interest in controlling Iran's efforts to destabilize the region and to control terrorism. Nazer said that women's rights had already expanded in every other sector for years, and today Saudi women inhabit all professions and public services. — SG
