Davos Crowd Returns to Riyadh Ritz Carlton

Four days ago The Circuit reported:

The Davos crowd will descend on the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh this weekend as the World Economic Forum hosts a special meeting that begins on Sunday on themes of global collaboration and energy policy amid crisis in the Middle East. 

Saudi Arabia will gather top officials from the U.S., EU and the Arab world on the sidelines on Monday, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, to discuss Gaza, Bloomberg reports. 

Within the conference halls, the kingdom will look to drive the conversation among the crowd of key partners toward the progress it is making on its Vision 2030 economic diversification strategy.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman used the Riyadh Ritz Carlton for his shakedown prison.  The Crown Prince held wealthy Saudis in detention in the hotel beginning in November 2017.   PEU Report did a number of postsnumber of posts on the rolling nonstory:

NBC News reported a year after the event:

...on Nov. 4, 2017, the ultra-luxurious Riyadh hotel — with its marble floors and vast indoor swimming pool — became a gilded prison, when hundreds of Saudi royals, billionaires and senior government officials were detained in an extraordinary power play by the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

 The involuntary guests were told they had to sign away large chunks of their assets to be released.

Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was executed and dismembered in the Saudi Consulate in Ankara, Turkey on October 2, 2018.  

Al Jazerra reported on the Prince's first public speech after Khashoggi's killing.  It stated:

 “Since 2017, the Crown Prince has had absolute control of the Kingdom’s security and intelligence organizations.."

MBS speech was to the Davos crowd and the meeting occurred in the Riyadh Ritz Carlton.  The topic was Vision 2030.  

MBS' Vision 2030 kicked off in 2018 in the stench filled aftermath of violence, murder and false imprisonment.  I wonder how many people felt that foundation as they walked around the Ritz over the weekend?  

Six years (2018), followed by six more (2024), followed by six more (2030).  That's six, six, six.  And these are the people bringing hope to Gazans?  

 

Update 5-1-24:  It turns out at least one Fink was in attendance.  Is everyone for sale?

BlackRock Riyadh Investment Management will be established under a partnership between BlackRock and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

“The continued growth of the kingdom’s capital markets and diversification of its financial sector will contribute to future prosperity for its citizens,” said BlackRock CEO Larry Fink. “Saudi Arabia has become an increasingly attractive destination for international investment.”

Fink folded for $5 billion.

Update 5-6-24:  Calvos, otherwise known as the Milken Institute Global Conference, saw a Saudi Capital Market Authority Chairman say:

The Kingdom’s equity capital markets now have around $100 billion invested versus “zero” about four to five years ago.

And how much came from MBS Ritz Carlton shakedown?

Update 5-15-24:  Blinken went from discussing Gaza in Riyadh to playing the guitar in a Ukrainian bar.  Rocking in the free and unfree world....