Saudi Arabia has signed partnership agreements with theme park company Six Flags Entertainment and Cisco Systems during a visit by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his accompanying delegation to Silicon Valley this week as Saudi Arabia looks to boost its business and commercial ties with the United States.
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The prince was shown wearing a gray business suit and tie in a video that has emerged of the meeting with California-based Cisco Systems and its top executives, including Chairman John T. Chambers. He was accompanied by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Commerce and Investment Majed Al-Qasabi, and other visiting Saudi leaders. Following the meeting, a memorandum of understanding was signed with Cisco Systems to help develop the digital infrastructure in the kingdom.
Prince Mohammed also met with executives from Six Flags Entertainment, which lies at the intersection of social and economic change that the Deputy Crown Prince hopes to bring to Saudi Arabia in the coming 15 years. As Reuters reports, it is not known “whether the theme park company will tailor its rides, which include water slides, to the social codes of a country where public spaces are gender segregated” because details of the partnership agreement were not made public.
“We consider culture and entertainment indispensable to our quality of life. We are well aware that the cultural and entertainment opportunities currently available do not reflect the rising aspirations of our citizens and residents,” the “Vision 2030” plan says.
The Deputy Crown Prince will continue to hold meetings with top Silicon Valley firms today before departing the San Francisco Bay Area. Before returning to Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed and his delegation are headed to New York City on Wednesday to meet with top financial houses and with the UN’s Ban Ki Moon.
