Экс-дипломат Нидерландов предложил Саудовской Аравии сотрудничество в сфере чистой энергии

Kurpershoek believes that the Netherlands can be a valuable partner in offering technical expertise in green and clean energy RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s historical relationship with the Netherlands offers lessons for how the two countries could deepen cooperation in green energy, culture and other fields, former Dutch diplomat and scholar Marcel Kurpershoek told Arab News at the Security and History Dialogue Conference. Kurpershoek took part in a panel titled “King Abdulaziz Al-Saud in the Eyes of the World.” The three-day conference, organized by the Ministry of Interior from Sept. 6-8, brings together more than 160 experts and specialists from Saudi Arabia and abroad. In an interview with Arab News, Kurpershoek discussed Saudi-Dutch relations, clean-energy cooperation, cultural diplomacy and the value of historical research in shaping future engagement. “I think we are very eager in the Netherlands to even further strengthen our relations with Saudi Arabia in this field,” he told Arab News. “We cannot contribute much to oil and gas production, but we can contribute a lot to our common ambitions in the field of green energy.” Given Saudi Arabia’s pivotal position in global energy markets and its economic transformation under Vision 2030, Kurpershoek believes that the Netherlands can be a valuable partner in offering technical expertise in green and clean energy. “There are so many tools. I think the financial system is one,” he said. “Green energy needs a lot of capital to develop. The Kingdom has capital, and has an interest in developing it.” In the last few years, Kurpershoek’s career has transitioned from diplomacy to culture, giving him an interesting angle to view political ties from a historical context. He served in the Dutch diplomatic service, including a posting in Saudi Arabia, and later became the Netherlands’ ambassador to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkiye and Poland. He also conducted extensive research into Arabian oral poetry and Bedouin culture. Kurpershoek highlighted the history of Dutch-Saudi relations as an example of how practical cooperation can build lasting ties. The first Dutch diplomat to the Kingdom, Daniel van der Meulen, had an inaugural meeting with King Abdulaziz in Jeddah, he said. “The first subject on the mind of King Abdulaziz was the safety and the comfort also of the pilgrims,” Kurpershoek added. “This was the beginning of 1926, and the Netherlands was still the colonial power in Indonesia … we had millions of pilgrims coming to Jeddah and then to Makkah, and he felt responsible for their well-being.” Van der Meulen’s work focused heavily on facilitating the Hajj pilgrimage for Muslims from the Dutch East Indies, then under Dutch colonial rule. They also discussed the economy in that first meeting. Saudi Arabia had yet to establish a banking system, but the king saw that this was an essential step in modern development. The Netherlands Trading Society opened a branch in Jeddah in 1926, which later became Alawwal Bank. “A bank is also a question of trust,” Kurpershoek said, adding that the same principle could underpin future cooperation in areas such as clean energy. The former diplomat argued that Saudi capital and Dutch technical expertise could support joint clean energy development. “The keyword here is clean energy,” he said, both in terms of strategy and transparency. Kurpershoek referenced the 2015 Dieselgate scandal, when Volkswagen installed secret software in millions of diesel cars that would cheat emission tests, taking a huge toll on air pollution. “Now, to have clean energy is not a luxury anymore,” he said. “It’s for economic and financial survival and success.” The Netherlands aims for 100 percent of all new passenger car sales to be zero-emission by 2030, just as the Kingdom aims for 30 percent of all vehicles in Riyadh to run on electricity under Vision 2030. Beyond energy and economics, the Dutch diplomat-turned explorer and scholar of Arabian heritage said: “It’s an honor actually to be invited from the Netherlands here, on the basis of my long experience with Saudi Arabia and my research here.” For a critical eye into the road map of Saudi Arabia’s future, Kurpershoek advises observers to see things through King Abdulaziz’s eyes. He said: “What would he think? What would he do? What would he criticize? What would he improve? Try to see it through this lens, through this perspective. “That will be very useful because there is huge potential also in the field of social and culture, because it’s so rich. It’s like unexplored oil.” Topics: The Netherlands Saudi Arabia