Saudi Arabia | The Saudi minister wants to sell Arabian sand and sun to Finns

This it seems to be a lot of noise now.

In the Business Finland auditorium, Finland’s winter sports achievements since the first Olympics are told.

The crowd is teeming with young and slim Saudi officials in their well-fitting suits. The older dignitaries are dressed in traditional Saudi clothing, some also in jackets – so there are some women in the delegation, which is already a bit of news when talking about Saudi Arabia.

Deputy Minister of Trade Iman bint Habas al-Mutairi walks in Ruoholahti without a scarf, but wraps it around his head during his initiation.

Three years ago, even as a minister, she would not have been able to go on a sales promotion trip to Finland without her husband’s or father’s permission, and seven years ago she would not have been able to walk down the street in her home country with only a scarf on her head.

“No law that puts men and women in a different position is no longer valid,” al-Mutairi says in his introduction.

That’s at least mostly true. Saudi Arabia has made major reforms in equality legislation, although the starting level was among the weakest in the world.

The most significant reform was that in 2019, Saudi Arabia repealed the law that required all women to have a male guardian. However, according to the human rights organization Human Rights Watch, the guardian’s consent is still needed, for example, to get married, and a woman’s position is weaker than a man’s before the court.

Eventually Minister of Trade Majid al-Kassabi signed by the CEO of the Finnish Central Chamber of Commerce Juho Romakkaniemi cooperation agreement with. A Business Council will be established to promote trade between the countries.

Al-Kassabi wants to settle scores. According to him, Finland exports 620 million dollars to Saudi Arabia, but Saudi Arabia only exports 24 million dollars to Finland.

“This is not an ordinary trip home for the evening,” says the Minister of Trade. “We will spend three and a half days here.”

There are 60 members in the delegation, says the minister.

Al-Kassab’s program included a foreign minister Pekka Haaviston (green), Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakan (sd), Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilän (central) and the Minister of Science and Culture Petri Honkonen (mid) meetings.

Very Al-Kassabi refuses to answer the most burning question.

In October, the United States appealed to Saudi Arabia not to cut its oil production. Reducing production increases the price of oil, which benefits Russia, which is waging a war of aggression in Ukraine. Saudi Arabia did not listen to the advice.

Al-Kassabi says that he cannot comment on the affairs of the Minister of Energy, even though selling oil can be interpreted as also belonging to the field of trade.

Will Saudi Arabia continue to trade with Russia?

“We trade with the whole world. We also follow UN resolutions and respect them. The trade is between traders and the government does not interfere in it, unless there is a clear UN resolution that requires measures.”

of Saudi Arabia the newest export product is tourism. This was also a complete impossibility for a few years, as tourist visas were not granted to pilgrims other than those going to Mecca.

Now the Saudi ministers repeat the slogan “Sun, sea and sand” and assure that the visa can be obtained in no time at the airport.

Can female travelers enter Saudi Arabia in their own clothes?

“There was a dress code in Saudi Arabia, but it has been removed,” says al-Kassabi.

“Saudi Arabia has modernized but kept its values. We respect people’s right to dress the way they want. If you want to reveal your hair or cover your head, the choice is yours.”

Finland and Saudi Arabia has been talked about for at least a decade. It has gone smoothly.

In May, Yleisradio reported on the difficulties of the Hei Schools company in Saudi Arabia. The company was co-owned by the Secretary of State Cloud Thursday (sd). Promising educational projects in Saudi Arabia were already reported in 2013. Since then, the Future Learning Finland website no longer exists.

Al-Kassabi says that the corona epidemic has messed up the projects.

“Now we are going to restart the system,” says al-Kassabi.

“We are creating a joint program for professional training, teacher training and student exchange, and we plan to send more exchange students to Finland.”

Undeniably despite the progress, Saudi Arabia remains a highly undemocratic and deeply unequal oligarchy.

For example, in the Freedom House organization’s well-known freedom index, the country ranks 155. Behind it are only ten countries, for example Iraq, Iraq, Somalia and Syria.

There is practically no freedom of speech. For worthless criticism in, for example, a Twitter message, even an ordinary citizen can end up in prison for tens of years. The administration of justice is arbitrary, and activists who opposed the Women’s Guardianship Law, for example, are still in prison.

The most extreme example is a journalist Jamal Khashoggi murder. In October 2018, Khashoggi was lured to the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. A 15-member Saudi assassination squad flew to the scene, murdered the journalist and dismembered the body.

It is unlikely that the assassination could have taken place against the de facto leader of the country, the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman without knowing. This is what the US intelligence service has come to, for example.

When will we know the truth about Jamal Khashoggi’s murder?

“Such things can happen, and no one accepts them. All criminals have been sentenced to prison in court and have received their punishment. What happened to Jamal Khashoggi is sad, but life must go on. Now we have to look ahead”, states Al-Kassabi.