The history of Saudi Arabia as a nation state began with the emergence of the Al Saud dynasty in central Arabia in 1727 and the subsequent establishment of the Emirate of Diriyah. Pre-Islamic Arabia,the territory that constitutes modern Saudi Arabia,was the site of several ancient cultures and civilizations;the prehistory of Saudi Arabia shows some of the earliest traces of human activity in the world.
Foreign relations of Saudi Arabia are the diplomatic and trade relations between Saudi Arabia and other countries around the world. The foreign policy of Saudi Arabia is focused on co-operation with the oil-exporting Gulf States,the unity of the Arab World,Islamic solidarity,and support for the United Nations. In practice,the main concerns in recent years have been relations with the US,the Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen,the Israeli–Palestinian conflict,Iraq,the perceived threat from the Islamic Republic of Iran,and the effect of oil pricing. Saudi Arabia contributes large amounts of development aid to Muslim countries. From 1986 to 2006,the country donated £49 billion in aid.
Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud is a member of the Saudi ruling family,military officer,and retired diplomat who served as Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States from 1983 to 2005. From 2005 to 2015 he served as secretary general of the National Security Council,and was director general of the Saudi Intelligence Agency from 2012 to 2014. From 2014 to 2015 he was King Abdullah's special envoy.
Saudi Arabia,officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA),is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about 2,150,000 km2 (830,000 sq mi),making it the fifth-largest country in Asia and the largest in the Middle East. It is bordered by the Red Sea to the west;Jordan,Iraq,and Kuwait to the north;the Persian Gulf,Bahrain,Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to the east;Oman to the southeast;and Yemen to the south. The Gulf of Aqaba in the northwest separates Saudi Arabia from Egypt and Israel. Saudi Arabia is the only country with a coastline along both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf,and most of its terrain consists of arid desert,lowland,steppe,and mountains. The capital and largest city is Riyadh;other major cities include Jeddah and the two holiest cities in Islam,Mecca and Medina. With a population of almost 32.2 million,Saudi Arabia is the fourth most populous country in the Arab world.
The Saudi riyal is the currency of Saudi Arabia. It is abbreviated as ر.سSAR,or SR (Saudi Arabian Riyal/Saudi Riyal). It is subdivided into 100 halalas. The currency is pegged to the US dollar at a constant rate of exchange.
Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud is King of Saudi Arabia,reigning since 2015,and was also Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of King Abdulaziz,the founder of Saudi Arabia,he assumed the throne on 23 January 2015. Prior to his accession,he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 18 June 2012 to 23 January 2015. Salman is the third oldest living head of state,the oldest living monarch,and Saudi Arabia's first head of state born after the unification of Saudi Arabia. He has a reported personal wealth of at least $18 billion,which makes him the third wealthiest royal in the world.
Simon Paul Collis,is a former British ambassador to several Middle Eastern countries before retiring from diplomatic service in February 2020.
Bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States began in 1933 when full diplomatic relations were established. These relations were formalized under the 1951 Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement. Despite the differences between the two countries—an Islamic absolute monarchy versus a secular constitutional republic—the two countries have been allies ever since. The U.S. provides military protection to the Kingdom in exchange for a reliable oil supply,pricing of oil in U.S. dollars,and support for American foreign policy.
According to the British government,the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have long been close allies. Relations between the two countries date back to 1848,when Faisal bin Turki,ruler of the Second Saudi state,formally requested the support of the British Political Resident in Bushire for his representative in Trucial Oman.
Reema bint Bandar Al Saud is the current Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States,a position her father had also previously held. Appointed by King Salman bin Abdulaziz,she presented her credentials to Donald Trump on 8 July 2019 and took office as ambassador on 23 February 2019—becoming the first woman to serve in the role of ambassador in the country's history. She also holds the rank of minister. She has advocated for female empowerment and has worked to expand opportunities for Saudi women within the Kingdom.
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud,commonly known by his initials as MBS or MbS,is the heir apparent to the Saudi throne. He is currently Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. He is the seventh son of King Salman of Saudi Arabia and grandson of the nation's founder,King Abdulaziz.
The modern history of Saudi Arabia begins with the declaration of the unification of Saudi Arabia in a single kingdom in 1932. This period of time in Saudi Arabia's history includes the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia and many events. It goes on to encompass Saudi Arabia's brief involvement in World War II in 1945. Afterwards,it includes Saudi Arabia's involvement in the Western Bloc and the Cold War. It also includes Saudi Arabia's proxy conflict with Iran,the Arab Spring,and the ongoing Arab Winter.
The Yemeni civil war is an ongoing multilateral civil war that began in late 2014 mainly between the Rashad al-Alimi-led Presidential Leadership Council and the Mahdi al-Mashat-led Supreme Political Council,along with their supporters and allies. Both claim to constitute the official government of Yemen.
On 26 March 2015,Saudi Arabia,leading a coalition of nine countries from West Asia and North Africa,launched an intervention in Yemen at the request of Yemeni president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi,who had been ousted from the capital,Sanaa,in September 2014 by Houthi insurgents during the Yemeni Civil War. Efforts by the United Nations to facilitate a power sharing arrangement under a new transitional government collapsed,leading to escalating conflict between government forces,Houthi rebels,and other armed groups,which culminated in Hadi fleeing to Saudi Arabia shortly before it began military operations in the country.
Saudi Vision 2030 is a government program launched by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which aims to achieve the goal of increased diversification economically,socially and culturally,in line with the vision of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. It was first announced on 25 April 2016 by the Saudi government.
The Qatar diplomatic crisis was a high-profile incident involving the deterioration of ties between Qatar and the Arab League between 2017 and 2021. It began when Saudi Arabia,the United Arab Emirates,Bahrain,and Egypt simultaneously severed their bilateral relations with Qatar and subsequently banned Qatar-registered aircraft and Qatari ships from utilizing their sovereign territory by air,land,and sea;this involved the Saudis' closure of Qatar's only land crossing,initiating a de facto blockade of the country. Tensions between the two sides came to a close in January 2021,following a resolution between the Saudis and the Qataris.
Denmark–Saudi Arabia relations are the bilateral relations between Denmark and Saudi Arabia. Denmark has an embassy in Riyadh,and Saudi Arabia has an embassy in Copenhagen.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah bin Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud is a Saudi Arabian diplomat,politician and a member of the House of Saud. Prince Faisal has also served as the Saudi ambassador to Germany from 27 March 2019 until his appointment as the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia. He is serving as the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia since 23 October 2019,when he was appointed to that position by a royal decree issued by King Salman. Prince Faisal was born in Frankfurt,West Germany and spent a part of his childhood and young adulthood in that country,which is why he speaks fluent German according to German news media.
The diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia are the relationship between two Arab nations in the Middle East. Lebanon has an embassy in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia has an embassy in Beirut.
