On the 92­­­nd National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (September 23), Ambassador Mohammed Ismaeil A. Dahlwy wrote to Việt Nam News:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is celebrating its 92­­­nd anniversary of National Day to commemorate the unification of the Kingdom under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud. This year's anniversary is the first to be held in person in Việt Nam since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this connection, it is my great pleasure to congratulate the Government of Việt Nam for its success in overcoming the pandemic and gradually returning to normal life.

Today and under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, we are not only celebrating the glorious anniversary of the unification of the kingdom, but also the great economic, political and social achievements that the Kingdom has achieved in light of the kingdom's ambitious vision 2030.

Ethraa, King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Photo courtesy of the embassy

Pioneered by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Vision 2030 focuses on economic and social transformation, diversifying our revenue streams, empowering women and youth, developing local capabilities, sustaining international partnerships, maintaining global trade and logistics links, and attracting foreign investment in the fields of industry, technology and green solutions, among other areas.

We believe Vision 2030 will have a ripple effect throughout the region, benefitting not only the lives and opportunities of Saudis, but also bolstering the prospects for regional and global prosperity.

And we realised that, in order for such an ambitious vision to bear fruit, we must foster a regional environment conducive to economic development, cooperation, and mutually beneficial trade. Accordingly, the Kingdom’s foreign policy includes a dedication to Vision 2030, a commitment to regional security, and a deep affirmation of our meaningful global relationships. Saudi diplomacy is active in supporting all efforts towards reducing tensions and maintaining security and stability.

In addition to that, Saudi Arabia prioritises multilateralism, and through its presidency of the G20 2020, Saudi Arabia worked to emphasise the importance of multilateralism and enhance global cooperation to better tackle the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. It reacted quickly to adapt its G20 agenda in response to the emerging new realities during the health crisis, and it committed to promoting “global cooperation in order to ensure the challenges the world faces today are addressed in a timely and non-discriminatory manner (and) to promote collective work to maintain peace and stability." Empowering people, safeguarding the planet and shaping the future by adopting long-term strategies designed to share the benefits of technological innovation were the three pillars that guided the Saudi vision for its G20 presidency.

Saudi Arabia emerges as a strong contender to host global events. The kingdom announced and hosted several initiatives, such as the Saudi Green Initiative, the Middle East Green Initiative, the Future Investment Initiative and Global Artificial Intelligence summit and many other activities. Recently, Saudi Arabia officially submitted its application bid to host the World EXPO 2030 in Riyadh, themed The Era of Change: Leading the Planet to a Foresighted Tomorrow.

Ambassador Mohammed Ismaeil A. Dahlwy (left) met with President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on the day of his Letter of Credence Presentation, on August 5, 2022.

Like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, The Socialist Republic of Việt Nam has accomplished outstanding achievements. Despite the unprecedented challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Việt Nam was capable of transforming these challenges into motivation to achieve significant success in implementing the dual goals of preventing the pandemic and promoting socio-economic development. As a result, the trade volume between Việt Nam and other countries rose by 22.4 per cent in 2021 to exceed US$660 billion, turning Việt Nam into one of the 20 leading economies in terms of international trade. In addition, foreign direct investment flows surpassed $29 billion.

In addition, the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam has clearly defined development objectives for the country until 2025 and 2030, and the 2045 vision, which aims to turn Việt Nam into a developed country with high incomes. This is similar to the Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 in terms of ambition, prospects and aspirations. We highly appreciate these ambitious visions of Việt Nam, and we are confident that Việt Nam will achieve great success in the country's march towards progress for the sake of the prosperity of the Vietnamese people.

I would like to take this precious occasion to laud the strong bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam which have witnessed significant developments since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1999. I am strongly confident that bilateral relations between the two countries will be further strengthened and developed in various fields in the coming years with great determination and tremendous effort made by the two sides to push the relations forward towards broader prospects. VNS