Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Two kingdoms, one vision of a shared future

Two kingdoms, one vision of a shared future

The King’s Day is a special occasion in the Belgian calendar. Its history goes back to 1866, when Nov. 15 was chosen to be celebrated in Belgium as a tribute to the first king of the Belgians, Leopold I.
Every year our embassy in Riyadh tries try to celebrate the day in a different format. But what we always want to stress and celebrate is our growing partnership with Saudi Arabia and with our Saudi friends, and to take this opportunity to reflect on the relations between our two countries.

Belgium opened its first legation in Jeddah in 1954 and appointed its first ambassador in 1964. Saudi Arabia appointed its first ambassador to Brussels in 1963. Three royal visits then followed in a short period of time. King Faisal paid an official visit to Brussels in 1967, King Baudouin visited Saudi Arabia in 1975, and King Khaled also came to Belgium in 1978.

These meetings have led to increased exchanges between the peoples of our two countries. High-level economic missions have been conducted by Belgian princes and princesses on a regular basis in order to keep close and friendly ties between our two nations. These economic missions have demonstrated that bilateral relations are not only at the royal level but also at the business and personal levels.

Since the opening-up of the country, more and more Belgian artists and companies are coming to Saudi Arabia to share their culture, knowhow and experience and, with an interruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, economic cooperation between the two kingdoms is slowly growing.

The Riyadh Season and its variety of events was an opportunity to boost the Belgian participation in the entertainment sector in Saudi Arabia. This booming field is attracting Belgian artists and companies to the Kingdom. For example, for the Middle Beast festival, three Belgian DJs, two of them women — Charlotte de Witte and Amélie Lens, along with Lost Frequencies— will perform. They represent the musical richness of Belgium which is home to Tomorrowland, one of the world’s largest annual electronic music festivals.

In the cultural sector, the Belgian sculptor and visual artist Kim De Ruyssche has been selected amont 20 other artists from all over the world to participate at the Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium from Nov. 10 until Dec. 6. Through this participation, Kim will be able to share his passion for sculpture and exchange knowledge with Saudi and foreign fellow sculptors.

To demonstrate the Belgian leading role in the fashion industry, the embassy held a fashion show with Lomar, an iconic Saudi house, for which the Belgian designer Christophe Beaufays is working. Last week another fashion show, for women, was organized at the embassy, presenting a unique collection of haute couture night gowns and kimonos, with high quality fabrics and lace from the Belgian designer Carine Gilson. We strongly believe in the importance of these events as they are among the best ways to create opportunities to exchange ideas, thoughts and projects.

When we hear “Belgium,” the first thing that comes to mind is “chocolate”! Our famous chocolate brands are our best ambassadors everywhere in the world. Two years ago the Belgian royal warrant holder Mary Chocolate opened a shop in Riyadh, and Neuhaus — the creator of the famous Belgian praline — is opening soon.

As Saudi Arabia organizes more international sports competitions, an increasing number of Belgian sportsmen and women are stepping on Saudi soil. In December 2019, we were honored to see the tennis player David Goffin participating at the Diriyah Tennis Cup, the first international tennis tournament played in Saudi Arabia.

Similarly, in Formula E, the Belgian drivers Jerome d’Ambrosio and Stoffel Vandoorne participated in the races held annually since 2018 in Diriyah. In golf, Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry participated in the previous Saudi International tournament, and will surely come back for further events. Furthermore we have many horse riders training and participating in events here in Saudi Arabia and many Saudi friends going to Belgium for international competitions.

Our deepening relations include tourism as well. More and more Saudis are discovering Belgium as a tourist destination and are fond of our medieval cities, diamonds, lace, cycling culture and exquisite food; a Belgian Michelin star restaurant will have a pop-up venue during the Riyadh eason. Many compatriots also came to Saudi Arabia to discover the dazzling desert landscapes of the country.

Last but not least, we are eagerly awaiting the stop in Riyadh of Zara Rutherford, the teenage Belgian-British pilot who is attempting to break the world record as the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. Her aim is to inspire young girls worldwide to start a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which is a cause the embassy fully supports. Indeed we recently organized an event to exchange the experiences and best practices of our two countries in the promotion and the support of STEM for young Saudi and Belgian students.

These areas of cooperation that range across different sectors and fields in Saudi Arabia are widening every year. Our bilateral relations are reinvigorated with every joint venture and initiative to meet the aspirations of the peoples of the two kingdoms. We hope all of you enjoy the Belgian Tricolore flag lighting up the Kingdom Tower on the evening of the Nov. 15.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
×