“It will be very similar to the diplomatic quarter in Riyadh, which is now 30 years old,” said Muhammad Tayeb, director general of the Foreign Ministry's office in Makkah Province.

He said that foreign consulates in Jeddah would move to the new quarter as soon as the infrastructure is ready. There are 65 foreign diplomatic missions and 30 honorary consuls in Jeddah.

Jeddah Municipality officials are now finalizing the project in coordination with the Foreign Ministry. “Once everything is finalized, the municipality will give a presentation on the project during a special ceremony to be attended by all diplomats in the city,” said Tayeb. It will come as good news to diplomats from some countries, such as India and Pakistan, which found their present premises have become cramped given the workload catering to massive numbers of their citizens in the city.

Asked how the land in the district would be distributed among foreign missions, Tayeb said it would depend on the size of the staff of each mission.

“We have kept all options open for them. They can either trade in (by giving a piece of land in their country) or take the land on a long or short-term lease,” he explained.

The Saudi official said most foreign diplomats in Jeddah have expressed appreciation for the plan to shift all foreign missions to the new quarter.

“The municipality has stopped giving licenses to construct new premises for consulates because of the new project,” he added. He said the new project would strengthen security and provide better facilities. “Apart from consulate offices, the new diplomatic quarter will have housing facilities for consulate staff as well as Saudis and expatriates. It will be a modern district. There will be diplomatic and cultural clubs, health centers, service providers, playgrounds and other recreational facilities,” he said.

He said the land in the new district would be allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis, adding that each mission would receive an average of 5,000-square meters of land, considering their real needs. “If any community wants to build a school, we'll provide land,” he said.  

The ministry came up with the plan after it observed that many consulates have been operating in old premises. "We decided to develop a modern diplomatic quarter to make their lives more easy, pleasant and secure."

Family Visa Regulations

Speaking about family visa regulations, Tayeb said applications for such visas would be considered only on the basis of professions written in the iqama or resident permit being the official document.

He also emphasized the significance of tourism being a vital source of revenue. "We want to promote tourism to boost our economy and diversify revenue sources," he added.

Referring to the King Abdullah Nuclear and Renewable Energy City in Riyadh, Tayeb said: "This is a great initiative. Although we have the world's largest oil reserves, we cannot rely on a single and un-renewable source of energy for long. The new move shows that the government wants to go fast on this project, which is important for our economy and security."

Tayeb praised Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for instructing Saudi diplomatic missions abroad to provide extra care to Saudi citizens. He also congratulated Arab News on its 35th anniversary. "I am a regular reader of Arab News. It is a very impressive newspaper."