DSF Dinner: H.E HRH Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud

By Lady Olga Maitland

9 May 2025

Our DSF dinner on Wednesday was a resounding success.  HE HRH Prince Khalid bin Bandar al Saud spoke eloquently about Saudi Arabia’s new role in the world. A full note will follow, but here are some highlights:

‘The Crown Prince Mohammed is steering Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy with deliberate precision, adapting to the realities of a multipolar world.  We can be nimble,  building trust with countries all over the world. Taking a sensible and practical view,  we are developing working relationships with regional actors such as with Russia and China, and now with Pakistan and India.  We are talking to Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Iran.  We are stretched in reaching out but we can do it.’

HRH Prince Khalid had this to say about Syria:

‘We received the Syrian foreign minister in January and found him to be saying all the right things; almost too perfect, though measured and listening.  We have an ambassador in Damascus and they have an ambassador in Riyadh.  Syria is complicated, as we have seen; we are hopeful but not optimistic.  There is much hard work to be done.  Syria should not be pushed for an election. They need first to be stabilized with an economy that is functioning. The challenges are many; a military with soldiers who are naïve and ideologues who need managing - different groups pressing against each other.  Syria is the bulwark of the Middle East, it is complex but we will try to assist.’  It should be noted that Saudi Arabia is planning to pay off Syria’s  $15m debt to the World Bank.

We were also delighted to receive this praise from one of our Members:

“What a marvelous event last night with the amazing Saudi Ambassador.

His Excellency was so articulate, informative, reasonable and always charming—particularly with such important issues and with a very impressive audience who needed to hear his clear and visionary commentary.

Your own closing remarks were exactly pitch-perfect, and were an ideal closing counterpoint to our expansive discussion.

It is a constant honor to be a DSF member—THANK YOU VERY MUCH!”