Official Visit to Saudi-Arabia, February 2016


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Duke of Marmalade

Duke of Marmalade

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Los Reyes viajarán a Arabia Saudí en febrero

The rumoured visit to Saudi Arabia becomes a fact. Ugh. Courting the money while looking the other way regarding all these other issues.
Such a visit would be highly controversial and subject to critizism in any european country these days.
 
Oh my... another state visit? I don't know what to think ot it to be honest...
 
This visit will depend very much of the new elected government. And I really hope they cancel it.

A visit to Saudi Arabia now is just plain disgusting. What an awful PR movement, even if you want not to break the relationship (the important Spanish invests there as the high speed train as such) there is no need for a visit for that and I really thought that was what JC's trip last week was all about (controversial, yes, but a lot less than a visit by the current head of state).

I'm pretty sure this is planned by the current government because it really looks soooo like them, but anyway how wrong from the RH to accept it. They still have not totally fixed their public image to maje such ridiculous risks.
 
:previous: I agree.

Maybe they are looking for the money that JC acquired in Saudi-Arabia but that didn't arrive in Spain :innocent:

El dinero del fondo de Juan Carlos I y su amiga Corinna acabó en tres paraísos fiscales | InfoLibre.es

The 21 million Euro Hispanic-Saudi Fund, the project promoted by the king in which acted Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein as advisor, ended in Channel Islands, Switzerland and Bermuda, a business initiative designed to encourage Spanish investment in Saudi Arabia, did not leave a single euro in Spain or generated any employment.
 
Thread closed until there's official confirmation
 
The visit to Saudi Arabia is still on, supposed to happen on February 16. There is already a separate thread for this visit but it has been closed.

The Saudi ambassador in Spain has confirmed the visit, but neither the government nor the Royal House have reconfirmed at this stage, for obvious reasons:
The Spanish Podemos party demanded Friday that the country’s government and the Royal Family cancel the King’s and the Queen’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia over the concerns for human rights in the country after the recent execution of 47 people.

Spain's Podemos Urges Royal Family to Cancel Riyadh Visit
 
The Spanish royal house and the Spanish Government have never officially confirmed this trip, there is the invitation of Saudi Arabia, but the political situation in Spain is too complicated to say that this trip can be done in those days. Also the latest events in Arabia will not help.

Podemos did not protest when the ambassador mentioned the trip on TV a month ago. But now with the confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran they speak ... Pablo Iglesias has a tv show in a spanish-language television funded by the Iranian regime... for them it is not a human rights issue, it is a matter of defending their own interests.
 
lula said:
The Spanish royal house and the Spanish Government have never officially confirmed this trip, there is the invitation of Saudi Arabia, but the political situation in Spain is too complicated to say that this trip can be done in those days. Also the latest events in Arabia will not help.

Podemos did not protest when the ambassador mentioned the trip on TV a month ago. But now with the confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran they speak ... Pablo Iglesias has a tv show in a spanish-language television funded by the Iranian regime... for them it is not a human rights issue, it is a matter of defending their own interests.
Click to expand...

it is well known that podemos responds only to their own crazy agenda.

excuse my ignorance, but why would a visit to saudi arabia be inappropriate, aside from spain's unstable political panorama at the moment?
 
carlota said:
excuse my ignorance, but why would a visit to saudi arabia be inappropriate, aside from spain's unstable political panorama at the moment?
Click to expand...

The fact that this is a regime that is based on Sharia = Islamic Law?
That they have no regard for human rights or women's rights?
Is this a system any modern society would want their leaders to court?

But as in so many other cases, the end justifies the means because Saudia Arabia has got the money.
 
Duke of Marmalade said:
The fact that this is a regime that is based on Sharia = Islamic Law?
That they have no regard for human rights or women's rights?
Is this a system any modern society would want their leaders to court?

But as in so many other cases, the end justifies the means because Saudia Arabia has got the money.
Click to expand...

Well, these things have been the case for years. And still some Western royals flock to SA frequently despite of that, directed by their governments of course. A bonus is that a visit to SA is usually good for the jewel casket of the visiting royal, though I always wonder why they proudly wear these items that have been bought by corruption and repression in the extreme.

But with the Iran-SA tension and Spain's political situation this visit is likely to be postponed.
 
Thread closed until clarification on the supposed visit.
 
Official trip by His Majesty the King to Saudi Arabia

The Office for Diplomatic Information has published the following statement:

Upon an invitation from His Majesty, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques of Islam, His Majesty the King of Spain will make an official trip to Saudi Arabia from 12 to 14 November.

King Felipe VI will be accompanied by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Alfonso Dastis, and for Public Works, Íñigo de la Serna.

Official trip by His Majesty the King to Saudi Arabia

November 14

Arrival in Riyadh

November 15

Meeting with the Spanish community at the residence of the ambassador

Official reception and lunch with King Salman

Meeting with Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Minister of Defense

Meeting with the Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, Minister of Interior

November 16

Visit to the City of King Abdullah of Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE)

Business event in the Chamber of Commerce

El Rey apoyará en Arabia Saudí las inversiones españolas

El Rey Felipe viajará mañana a Arabia Saudí en su primera salida con el nuevo Gobierno
 
Maybe I'm wrong, but wasn't queen Letizia listed to attend well? Or was that just a rumor ahead of the trip?
 
This trip is strictly about business and we all could see that CP Mary was alienated when she went on a similar trip with Frederik, men not even looking at her, let alone respectfully greeting her.
They need to close some important business deals that's why Felipe is going first thing after the swearing in of the government.
 
Looks like it will be 3rd time lucky :previous:
 
This is the oddest visit. Everything seems to conspire against it.
 
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The King and Queen have been very unlucky with state visits and foreign trips in general!!!
 
Contrary to the title of this thread, Letizia does not seem to be included in the visit probably for obvious reasons.
 
carlota said:
Contrary to the title of this thread, Letizia does not seem to be included in the visit probably for obvious reasons.
Click to expand...

She was scheduled to attend the first time around but since then casa real has changed the policy of Queen Letizia:

Felipe VI will assume exclusively the acts reserved for him according to the Magna Carta and Doña Letizia will accompany him at State events or where she will be a supposed asset and be "close to the people". Sources of the Crown confirm that the commented absence of the Queen at the swearing-in of Rajoy and the ministers responds to a decision "coordinated and studied" by the organs of the Royal House.

Saudia Arabia is stricly about business therefore Letizia will not be going.

In this case the right decision anyway, we all could see how out of place Mary looked when visiting this country.
 
Felipe VI will assume exclusively the acts reserved for him according to the Magna Carta and Doña Letizia will accompany him at State events or where she will be a supposed asset and be "close to the people".
Click to expand...

i wonder what they mean effectively by 'where she will be a supposed asset and be "close to the people". ' theoretically, she can be an asset in any event, so such lax wording is a bit perplexing. almost makes me think that the alleged "coordinated and studied decision" is not so coordinated and studied, after all...
 
If the visit is a State Visit, Queen Letizia travels ... if the visit is simply a business trip, and based only on the business, the queen does not travel.

There are short trips based only on politics or business, where queen Letizia has no role, and her presence is not necessary. Even when he was a prince, Felipe made these trips alone. There are other trips, with more cultural and social acts, where her presence as a consort is necessary or adequate and she goes.

Queen Letizia, for her part, travels for cooperation or solidarity causes alone.

On the events in Spain, King Felipe will do solo events related to his constitutional role as Head of State. King Juan Carlos used to do many of these events alone, but Queen Sofia wanted to accompany him in others... something that other European consorts do not habitually do.

Normally the queen consort or prince consort in other European countries, do not attend the swearing of the new government, but queen Sofia always wanted to do it and they allowed it. Now Queen Letizia is keeping out of those events, and that has been news, and the Royal House has tried to explain how is the division of roles.
 
Is Queen Letizia also going on this visit?
 
Given the above information, King Felipe is going solo. His spouse would have created unnecessary inconvenience for Saudi Arabia.
 
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