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SARAJEVO, March 16 (FENA) – As part of the Tenth Global Baku Forum, FENA had the honor to conduct an exclusive interview with Turki bin Faisal Al Saud, a Saudi prince and former senior government official, who served as head of the head of Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Presidency from 1979 to 2001.
Interviewer: Lejla Nuhanović
Prince Turki discussed numerous topics with the FENA journalist, such as the recent agreement on the normalization of relations with Iran, the Palestinian issue, the Non-Aligned Movement, as well as the future role of Saudi Arabia in the world and their influence in the Western Balkans.
- The Kingdom strives to have good relations with all parts of the world, especially with the Western Balkans. When there was a war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Kingdom provided very strong support to Bosnia because others attacked them. We are fully engaged in the region and have good relations with all the countries here, whether it is BiH, Serbia, Croatia or Montenegro. We want to be friends with everybody - said Prince Turki.
The Saudi prince spoke about his visit to Sarajevo and how he was appreciative of the friendliness of the people of Sarajevo.
- The last time I was in Sarajevo was almost 10 years ago. My favorite sport is skiing and I hope that I will soon have the opportunity to visit the city again and ski on your Olympic mountains - he stressed.
The Prince also spoke about the latest agreement on the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which was signed a few days ago. He hopes that the agreement with Iran means a new hope for a stable and prosperous relationship with his neighbor. He believes that there is a will on both sides to restore relations that were broken 7-8 years ago, when Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the Saudi consulate in Mashhad.
- Our relations with Iran have experienced ups and downs throughout history. This is not the first time that we have broken relations with Iran and restored them. During the 1980s, Ayatollah Khomeini encouraged Iranian pilgrims to protest in huge numbers in the holy city of Mecca. Clashes broke out between Iranian pilgrims and Saudi security forces, and relations were severed. They were reinstated in 1995 when Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was the president of Iran. Good relations continued under President Mohammad Khatami and Mahmoud Ahmedinajad, but they began to deteriorate under President Hassan Rouhani - the Prince reminded.
He believes that this opportunity should be used to improve relations, within the very clear parameters of the UN Charter on non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and respect for each other's territorial integrity. He also emphasized the need to return to the security agreement they had with Iran, which was signed in 2001, which was also based on these principles. Prince Turki believes that these are the basic steps that both sides should take to improve relations.
Asked to comment on how this agreement could affect the situation in Yemen, Prince Turki pointed out that the situation in that country is very sensitive and that the Houthi rebels carried out a coup against the legitimate president Hadi, which the UN Security Council condemned in a resolution.
- We know that Iran supports the Houthi rebels with rockets and other weapons. They carry out attacks against Saudi Arabia. There was a conflict between us, who support the legitimate government, and the Houthis, who are supported by Iran. Now that we have normalized relations with Iran, we hope that will influence Houthis' opinion. As you know, the government of Saudi Arabia has been negotiating with the Houthis for several years to end the violence - said the Prince.
Asked what are the priorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the future, Prince Turki said that his country wants progress, not only economically but also socially.
- Economically, we intend to establish other sources of income besides oil. We are introducing measures that allow us to expand sources of income, and among them are investments in science, technology, tourism, development of the mining industry, transport - he said.
He spoke about the second set of major reforms, which aim at greater rights for women, that is, the equalization of rights not only in the business sector, but also in other aspects of life within the Saudi Vision 2030.
Saudi Vision 2030 is a comprehensive plan that was launched by the Saudi Arabian government in 2016. The vision is a long-term strategic plan aimed at reducing the country's dependence on oil exports and developing a diversified, sustainable economy. The plan seeks to achieve this goal through a series of initiatives that will transform the country's economic, social, and cultural landscape.
- In 2016, the representation of women on the labor market was barely seven percent. As part of the 2030 Vision, it was expected that by that year the representation would be 35 percent. However, we have already achieved that percentage. The role of women has expanded significantly in the last few years - said the prince.
Given that many statesmen from the Non-Aligned Movement attended the Global Baku Forum, Prince Turki was asked what the future of that Movement is in view of the current geopolitical situation that enables its revitalization, and also due to the fact that Saudi Arabia and Iran are also part of the Non-Aligned Movement.
He recalled that the Non-Aligned Movement was originally founded during the Cold War when many countries were divided into those supporting the West, led by the US, and the East, led by the Soviet Union.
- However, there was a third group of countries that did not want to be on any side. At the beginning of the nineties, there was a reversal of situations when many countries no longer had the need to decide for one side or the other and the Non-Aligned Movement lost its influence. The last few years have seen renewed tensions between East and West and the need for the Non-Aligned Movement has been reborn. So yes, I believe there is a role for the Non-Aligned Movement, but that's not the only thing that ties us to Iran. Both countries are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, but we are also members of the UN - said the Prince.
He pointed out that the biggest problem and the biggest tragedy in the Middle East is the Palestinian issue.
- This issue has been problematic since 1948. We had several wars between Arab countries and Israel over this issue. However, in 2002, the Arab world decided that it wanted peace finally. Therefore, Saudi Arabia under the leadership of the then King Abdullah proposed a peace initiative, which is based on the quid pro quo principle - said the prince.
He said that the Arab world would recognize Israel and establish normal relations if Israel withdrew from the occupied Arab territories in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. Unfortunately, the Arab Peace Initiative was not accepted by Israel. It is believed that this issue should not be resolved only in the region, but by the whole world, as is currently being done in Ukraine, and that the West is showing strong determination in sanctioning Russia for the occupation of Ukrainian territories and the displacement of Ukrainians in other countries.
- The same should be applied to Palestine. Palestinians were also forcibly relocated to other Arab countries. This is why Saudi Arabia cannot join the Abrahamic Accords. They do not solve the question of Palestine. We believe that the Arab Peace Initiative is a much more sustainable, just and equitable solution - Prince Turki concluded in an interview with FENA.
(FENA) L. N.
