Posted: September 7th, 2015

Business Diplomacy.

Prior to his death in, may Allah have mercy on his soul, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Affairs Minister was a tireless supporter of the Saudi-French friendship and cooperation. Among other collaborations, Saudi Arabia, and France are anti-ISIS campaign coalition members. The 2014 International Conference on Peace and Security in Iraq hosted by Paris expressed the joint support towards stability within the region. More so, Saudi Arabia and France continue to emphasize the importance of coordination and consultation on the regional and international agenda between the two countries. These are aimed to enhance the two countries in terms of defense, energy, health, economy, and climate. Saudi Arabia and France are involved intensively in facilitating continuous movement between its citizens to both countries to augment their diplomatic ties. Entrepreneurs, diplomats, workers, families, students, Hajj participants, tourists, and others from both countries play an essential part in ensuring the diplomatic ties appear. While the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia Paris has anexcess of information on Saudi Arabia that people can access, very few people leverage the embassy’s database.

Problem Statement

In the recent past, entrepreneurs seeking information on investment are forced to contact unreliable sources such as private agencies. This has formed a barrier to individuals who wish to do business and in another country, forcing them to invest locally. The absence of extensive information on business avenues has been the biggest shortcoming to a better diplomatic relation between Saudi Arabia and France. However, the embassy is currently making it easy for people to access all accurate Trade/business related information.

            Among other things, trade and business are important in establishing diplomatic ties between two nations. Through exports and imports and imports exchange, the Saudi-French ties have improved a great deal over the recent past. However, the relationship between these two nations can improve when potential investors access accurate information on investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Paris.

Objectives

The objectives of the study are:

1. To demonstrate the achievements made by the embassy on ensuring the Saudi Arabia- France diplomatic ties.
2. To analyze the challenges in accessing investment data.
3. To evaluate the nature and opportunities of the internet in data dissemination.
4. To reinforce the diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and France.
5. To recommend the best practice for the Saudi Arabian embassy.

LITERATURE REVIEW

While there are numerous literature on diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and France, as well as digital diplomacy, little research is conducted on the impact of poor access to Saudi Arabia business and trade information exclusive to French-Saudi relations. There are substantial achievements made by the Saudi Arabian embassy in Paris to ensure good relations with France.

Current French-Saudi relations

The embassy has enhanced the Saudi-French relations. Diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and France is flourishing. To demonstrate their bilateral ties, the two countries have signed bilateral agreements in military and defense areas. France has come to the aid of Saudi Arabia and is currently a major arms supplier of Saudi Arabia. The two countries have laid down procedures to enhance Saudi diversification program in the area of clean energy and investment in transport, health, satellite industry, and civil aviation among other things (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Republic of France, 2015). Business ties between the two countries have improved thereby facilitating the economy and investment in both countries. It is important to note that Saudi Arabia is diversifying business and hopefully into tourism from the traditional oil industry. Good bilateral ties are critical in this new area of diversification.

Internet and Diplomacy

The concept of Open Data leads in diplomatic agendas. The IT-related concept operates as a tool for transparency, accountability, re-use of public information, and an instrument of international cooperation. Currently, 57 countries are committed to the Open Government Partnership principle, essentially, to bring together varying social, economic, and political perspectives for discussion (Cucos, 2012). Meanwhile, other diplomats have also taken to digital diplomacy as a form of nation branding, to ensure interconnectedness within the digital world. Even so, issues related to internet freedom and hypocrisy among others remain a major concern of digital diplomacy (Bjola& Holmes, 2015).

INTERNSHIP

At the embassy, I have various functions assigned to me as a Diplomatic Relations intern. I am tasked with analyzing the political situation in France, taking a closer glimpse at the evolution of various parties. As a good ambassador to my country, my job is to reinforce the bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and France and enlighten my country’s vision.

METHODOLOGY

This study will leverage a mixed research method by integrating qualitative and quantitative data. The data will be obtained from primary and secondary sources

Primary Sources

Primary data will be obtained from an interview. To review the nature of the problematic, I will interview Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. He is a famous Saudi businessman and a diplomat. Uniquely, he has prevailed in couple business deals with the French.

Secondary sources

Secondary data, on the other hand, is obtained through a desk-based research of embassy and government websites, publications, press releases, reports, journals, and books. For the most part, secondary data is useful in conducting the case studies. The following are some of the questions I will ask the Prince:

1. What is your perspective about business diplomacy between Saudi Arabia and France?
2. How are trade and business information critical to our relationship?

3. What are some of the most reliable sources of information about investing in Saudi        Arabia?
4. What are some of the things we must do to enhance our business diplomacy with France?

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