Okaz

THE Deputy Emir of Makkah, Prince Abdullah Bin Bandar, was a guest at a special gathering with a number of opinion writers in Jeddah recently.

He had a frank and candid talk with the opinion writers, who all had one common goal, which was to serve the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and participate in its development.

Prince Abdullah is a young prince who emerged as a prominent public figure in a short period of time. The youth are seen as the bridge that will carry the country to the next stage where we will achieve the vision of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman. I was keen on meeting with the prince to get an overview of the future based on his vision.

I asked him where he would see the Kingdom in 10 years. He said he was optimistic for many reasons.

Prince Abdullah’s optimism for a bright future is based on real knowledge of the challenges and difficulties we are faced with and ways to deal with and overcome these obstacles. Success is essential for the country to reach the high position we deserve.

Vision 2030, which aims at breaking total reliance on oil as a source of revenue, is a bold move that is based on the current reality and the demand of the future. It is based on understanding the changes that is witnessed around the world today, which is changing very fast. We need to deal with these changes in a dynamic way and to understand the needs of the country and the problems we face.

I came to this gathering with a previous positive impression on the young prince. I came out of this gathering with a more positive impression, not because he spoke very well, but because he was honest and transparent. He is open to positive criticism and confident of success.