Abdul Wahhab Al-Fayez
Last week, the call was made for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to adopt an organized effort that it is working on in cooperation with governmental and private agencies to develop (a culture of popular communication) with embassies and the diplomatic community. Perhaps it is better to return to this topic to suggest programs that help formulate an executive action plan that serves the national goal that we aspire to.
The main objective of this plan is to motivate embassies and diplomatic representations operating in the Kingdom to organize their events and celebrations aimed at popular cultural and artistic communication in halls designated for public events, whether in hotels or elsewhere, according to organized controls and procedures. This will serve its goals if the goal is noble and seeks to develop the positive relationship between peoples and states, so let these activities be in the open and not behind closed doors in the headquarters of the missions and the residence of their members. This situation may necessitate work to limit the occasions of special, selective, nocturnal invitations that do not lead to the development of relations with peoples!
We did not invent or impose this healthy, positive approach to building bridges. Rather, it is the natural path that is consistent with diplomatic norms and international laws regulating the work of diplomatic missions, which must respect the sovereignty of the countries accredited to them, and not interfere in their internal affairs, and this is confirmed by all international agreements. Related.
The Havana Convention on Diplomatic Personnel concluded in 1928 stipulates in Article (12) that (diplomatic personnel may not interfere in the internal affairs or foreign policy of the state in which they carry out their work). The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 also stipulates in paragraph (1) of Article (41) that (without prejudice to the privileges and immunities granted to them, the persons who benefit from these privileges and immunities have a duty to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving country, and they also have a duty not to interfere in affairs the interior of that country).
These international selectors are explicit and include all popular interactions. This supports and facilitates building the work mechanisms of the program that we propose to develop the culture of popular communication in order to arrange the relationship between us and the friends of our country so that our relations are based on clear and transparent foundations. In this positive context for the development of relations, it would not be surprising to stipulate the organization of special events for embassies and all international representations in public places that facilitate and facilitate people's access to them.
This trend will also be supportive and encouraging for the entertainment, tourism and hotel sectors. It also serves the development of the events and celebrations industry in the Kingdom, which we seek to develop in order to benefit from it in order to expand business opportunities and generate jobs. It also allows embassies to present open public invitations, and this serves and enhances communication between the Saudi people and friendly countries.
We have the right to intervene to arrange the attendance of these events, and we have the right to set the conditions that guarantee the protection of people, especially (adolescents and youth) and the protection of our national security. This is a right practiced by all countries, especially Western countries. This imposed a strict environment on our embassies and citizens after the events of (September 11th), and strictly monitored our humanitarian and relief work and our schools abroad, and imposed strict measures on us regarding visas and intensified inspection and multiple checks at airports, and some Saudis of all ages were subjected to insults and obstruction for hours at airports. At that time, we were patient and understood the sovereign right of friendly countries to protect their security and the safety of their citizens.
One of the institutions that should have a major role in this project is (Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies). We hope that he will be more initiative and get out of the state of dormancy and repetition in his work, which is not commensurate with the size and international status of our country, and does not keep pace with the great sovereign role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and is not even befitting with the name of the great person whose name the institute bears.
We hope to support the Institute and strengthen its financial and human capabilities so that it plays its vital role in serving our country, and is able to carry out this project that we propose. The institute must organize the courses and workshops that we need, which we referred to in the previous article. We have mentioned that we are facing new developments in international communication as a result of the development of social media, and our country has an ambitious project to deepen and expand its international interactions in various fields, such as tourism and entertainment programs and initiatives. All of these have created a wide environment for Saudis to communicate with residents among us from different communities, and with visitors and tourists, whom we are proud and happy to have among us.
We also need courses and workshops that help us build determinants of cultural communication that take into account an accurate and practical definition of the best ways of dealing with diplomats. We need workshops that discuss the setting of accepted and accepted controls and limits for human and ethical dealing with diplomats. It is offered to businessmen, media professionals, opinion writers, pioneers of culture and arts, and community actors.
We also need to design training packages around the optimal positive aspects of dealing with what is presented in social communication. This is a vital and necessary role for the institute, and it will not find it difficult to build this project. We have a generation of professional Saudi ambassadors and diplomats who can enrich this program.