Mr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Haqil, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, met today in Madrid, the capital of Spain, with the Minister of Housing and Urban Agenda, Isabel Garcia, and the Minister of Digital Transformation and Public Works, Jose Luis Belmonte, to discuss cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Spain in the fields of housing, municipal affairs, and urban development, in the presence of the Saudi Ambassador to Spain, Princess Haifaa bint Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf Al-Muqrin.
During the meeting with the Minister of Housing and Urban Development Isabel Garcia, he was briefed on several Spanish models in the field of housing and urban development, and examined a group of development projects implemented in some Spanish cities. He also highlighted the Kingdom’s interest in studying successful experiences and transferring Saudi expertise for knowledge exchange.
Al-Haqil emphasized that the Kingdom has achieved many successes in the housing and urban development sector, pointing to improvements in sector structure, system development, legislation, and procedures. The real estate financing sector and residential projects and suburbs have also been developed, contributing to an increase in the percentage of citizens owning residential units.
Al-Haqil pointed out that the Kingdom is implementing many projects and supportive programs in urban development, with the aim of classifying three Saudi cities among the top 100 cities in the world, according to global standards of quality of life.
During his meeting with the Spanish Minister of Digital Transformation and Public Works, he interacted with Spain’s experience in digital transformation in municipal services and its successes through “Spain’s Digital Agenda 2026,” expressing his desire to enhance cooperation and exchange experiences between the two countries in this vital sector.
Al-Haqil explained that Saudi Arabia has set a global leading example in digital services across various sectors and has achieved many international awards and achievements in the municipal and housing sectors. He mentioned the comprehensive digital experience developed by the ministry to facilitate recipients’ access to residential units and easily benefit from municipal services, as well as using artificial intelligence technologies to enhance the urban landscape.
He mentioned that the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing has started an official visit to the Kingdom of Spain lasting 3 days from April 15 to 17, during which he will meet with several senior officials in the Spanish government to strengthen bilateral relations and discuss successful experiences between the two countries.
