French envoy salutes AlUla partnership with Saudi Arabia

Ludovic Pouille - KSA, France tourism
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Updated 10 February 2022
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French envoy salutes AlUla partnership with Saudi Arabia

  • Ludovic Pouille shares his vision to develop tourism and promote rapprochement between both countries
  • It is very stimulating for an ambassador to be in a country that is young, dynamic and has ambition

RIYADH: French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ludovic Pouille has shared his 18-month experience living in the Kingdom and his vision to strengthen relations, enhance economic opportunities, share cultures, develop tourism and promote rapprochement between both countries.

Pouille is keen to show France the rich cultural heritage, tradition and picturesque natural landscapes of the Kingdom. He hopes that “the French can also discover the treasures and beauties of Saudi Arabia.”
And, likewise, he wants Saudis to experience French tourism and hospitality.
Pouille believes that Saudi Arabia has three distinct characteristics: Hospitality, 70 percent of the population being younger than 35, and its status as an ambitious country. “It is very stimulating for an ambassador to be in a country that is young, dynamic and has ambition,” he told Arab News en Francais.
The French envoy shed light on AlUla becoming a phenomenal tourist destination and the Saudi-French partnership signed in 2018 for the sustainable tourism development of the region.
“A few days ago, we celebrated the first three years of the implementation of this partnership, and above all we have drawn, with Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr, the French minister of foreign affairs, the French minister of culture and Saudi Investment Minister Khaled Al-Faleh, very promising prospects for this partnership in the coming years,” he said, adding: “I have no doubt that AlUla will become a global tourist destination.”
Pouille said that archaeological cooperation between the two countries goes back 20 years, when in 2002, a mission by Laila Nehme explored the Nabataean civilization in AlUla. Since then, and after many successful endeavors, Pouille said: “We currently have five missions unearthing in the AlUla region — the secrets of the pre-Nabataean kingdoms of Dadam and Lihyan, the Khaybar region, the old city of AlUla and its oasis.”
The tourism development of AlUla aims to attract 2 million visitors per year by 2030.
Beyond archaeological discoveries, a further strategy is to develop sustainable agriculture and urbanism, and renewable energies, thus creating a complete ecosystem.
Pouille revealed that several interested French companies have signed contracts with the Royal Commission for AlUla.
He also lauded an agreement signed last year with the Cordon Bleu Institute to open a Riyadh institute, and praised the establishment of the Ferrandi School — one of the world’s greatest gastronomic schools — in AlUla.
In addition to AlUla, similar development in other regions like Taif and Asir will also draw tourists in the near future.
“I discovered a country of great wealth. It has ancient cities and modern megacities. For all these reasons, I believe that Saudi Arabia has a very important touristic potential,” he said.
“Saudi Arabia also harbors mountains of a 3,000 meter altitude with vegetation and rain for a good part of the year, without forgetting the 1,400 kilometers of coasts along the Red Sea, full of corals and an extraordinary fauna. The Farasan Islands are fantastic and NEOM has an extraordinary ecological heritage.
“These destinations are the value that tourists will look for,” Pouille said.
“France, the world’s leading tourist country, needed decades to get there. Saudi Arabia, with its dynamism, will reach there in a few years,” he added.
The French ambassador said that Vision 2030 is a very broad agenda that concerns the economy, culture, heritage and digital transformation, and that France sees itself as a partner in this process.
The French Vision 2030 was launched a few months ago and shares many of the same ambitions of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which was launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2016.
“It wants to respond to the same challenges, such as the energy transition that can lead to preserving the environment and biodiversity, and the digital transition that must be able to be accompanied by economic growth and not massive unemployment,” he said.
According to Pouille, France can play a role in the development of new projects under Saudi Vision 2030.
French President Emmanuel Macron, during his visit to Jeddah in December, where he met with the crown prince, said that he wanted to establish a global partnership with the Kingdom, but one that was not only limited to the political, military and economic fields.
“The president’s visit has opened up great prospects through agreements signed in the fields of tourism, culture, digital and space,” he said, adding that the two countries will embark hand in hand toward 2030.
For mutual beneficial interests, a Franco-Saudi business forum was also held parallel to the visit.
Cultural rapprochement is a theme very dear to the heart of the ambassador, who tries to be a “cultural transmitter,” as he considers diplomacy beyond governments and economic interests, and believes in creating bridges between peoples.
After the world came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pouille hopes that in 2022, things will be promising as many Saudis have found their way back to France, and vice versa.  “The month of the Francophonie (marked in March around the world) is a very important month for our cultural activities in the Kingdom,” said Pouille.
“It is true that Saudi Arabia is not a French-speaking country, but it has 200,000 French-speaking residents. We are working with our partners to build, in March, a program of cultural, educational and musical events. Conferences and exhibitions will be organized to celebrate, not only in the French language, but also diversity and multiculturalism through the preservation of languages and cultural identities,” he said.
He added: “I remain hopeful that the French language will be reintroduced in Saudi public schools as it was in the 70s and 80s, because French is a global language: The second most learned language on the planet and the third language of business. We hope to establish more branches and more language centers to generalize the learning of the French language in the Kingdom.”
At the end of the interview, Pouille showed three calligraphy works by Saudi artists in his garden at La Residence de France in Riyadh.


Turaif traces historical, cultural mosaic to pre-Islamic era

Updated 03 July 2025
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Turaif traces historical, cultural mosaic to pre-Islamic era

  • Evidence of Stone Age settlements in the region
  • Has Tapline, Kingdom’s first industrial heritage site

TURAIF: Located in Saudi Arabia’s Northern Borders region, Turaif governorate stands as a crossroads of ancient civilizations and a gateway to Iraq and the Levant.

The governorate is home to a range of rich cultural and heritage sites, many of which date back to pre-Islamic times.

Heritage Commission sign board at the archaeological site of Qasr Duqrah, located 40 kilometers southwest of Turaif governorate. (SPA)

Among the most prominent heritage landmarks is the archaeological site of Qasr Duqrah, situated 40 km southwest of the governorate.

Adjacent to it lies a mountain known as Aqran, also referred to as Duqrah Mount, which has been recorded under the Comprehensive Archaeological Survey Program.

Zahi Al-Khalawi, a member of the Saudi Historical Society, said the site is among the Kingdom’s most significant archaeological locations because there is evidence of human settlements dating to the Stone Age.

He said habitation at the site continued through the later Roman period (2 to 6 centuries C.E.) and persisted into the Umayyad era (661 to 750 C.E.).

Another landmark is the Trans-Arabian Pipeline, or Tapline, one of Saudi Arabia’s most significant industrial heritage sites.

The pipeline stretches from the east of the Kingdom to its north, passing through Turaif, and has been registered in the National Industrial Heritage Register.

Known as the Tapline, this oil pipeline stretches from eastern Saudi Arabia to the northwest, passing through Turaif. (SPA)

It is the first documented industrial heritage site in the Kingdom, representing the early stages of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry and its developmental and economic significance.

Also noteworthy is the culturally significant site of Qaru Turaif, a water source developed by the Tapline Co. in the 1950s to help settle nomadic communities by order of the late King Abdulaziz.

To the east of Turaif, about 25 km away, stands Jabal Umm Waal, a historic landmark and northern gateway into the Arabian Peninsula.

The mountain tells the stories of Bedouin life and the passage of trade caravans and pilgrims traveling from the Levant and Iraq. For centuries, it served as a safe route for travelers making their way southward.

 


Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli minister’s call for sovereignty over occupied West Bank

Updated 02 July 2025
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Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli minister’s call for sovereignty over occupied West Bank

  • Kingdom’s foreign ministry said the move would violate international laws

RIYADH: A government minister’s threat for Israel to apply full sovereignty over the occupied West Bank was strongly condemned by Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Kingdom “condemned and denunciated” the statement made by the Israeli official calling for the imposition of sovereignty over the Palestinian territory.

Such action would be a violation of international law, the statement said. Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to expand settlements on Palestinian land, the ministry added, while reiterating the Kingdom’s position on the importance of Israel abiding by international resolutions.

The statement followed comments from Israel’s Justice Minister Yariv Levin saying “the time has come” for Israel to apply sovereignty across the West Bank.

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967 and has built dozens of settlements, deemed illegal under international law, across the territory.

The Saudi foreign ministry offered its support for the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate rights and in establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

 


Saudi ministry recalls faulty chargers over fire risk

Updated 02 July 2025
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Saudi ministry recalls faulty chargers over fire risk

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Commerce has announced the recall of 88,518 Anker portable chargers across multiple models due to a potential internal electrical short circuit that may cause overheating and pose a fire risk.

The ministry urged consumers to immediately stop using the affected products and contact Anker at the toll-free number 8008500030 to arrange a replacement or full refund, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

Consumers can check if their device is included in the recall and start the replacement or refund process by visiting anker.com/mmrc2506.

Users are also advised to verify the model number of their charger against the list of affected products on the Defective Products Recall Center website ecalls.sa.

The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to consumer safety and stressed the importance of promptly addressing product defects to prevent potential hazards.


GCC passports departments chiefs hold meeting

Updated 02 July 2025
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GCC passports departments chiefs hold meeting

Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi participated in the 39th Meeting of the Directors-General of Passports of the GCC countries, held on Wednesday at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Riyadh.

During the meeting, he reviewed the latest developments, including the Gulf visa project.

The passport departments of the interior ministries of GCC countries, through a series of joint meetings, are making efforts to launch a unified tourist visa project in the near future, the General Secretariat said in a report.

“Everyone is working as one team to keep pace with technological developments and security requirements in a world characterised by rapid change,” Albudaiwi said.


Saudi FM discusses regional developments in call with US secretary of state

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with his US counterpart State Marco Rubio on Wednesday. (AFP)
Updated 02 July 2025
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Saudi FM discusses regional developments in call with US secretary of state

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with his US counterpart Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, Saudi Press Agency reported. 

During the call, Prince Faisal and Rubio reviewed US-Saudi relations and ways to enhance the strategic partnership between their countries. The latest regional and international developments were also discussed.