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Hanging over all this were concerns about ramped-up repression, especially following the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate.īut Saudi officials also recognised how security threats, especially from Iran, endangered Prince Mohammed’s big plans.

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Its deep-pocketed sovereign wealth fund inked a series of high-profile investments in everything from Newcastle United to Nintendo, hinting at how his “Vision 2030” reform agenda might transition the world’s largest crude exporter away from fossil fuels. On his watch, the formerly closed-off kingdom sidelined the notorious religious police, allowed women to drive, opened cinemas and started granting tourist visas. It was domestic reforms that initially helped burnish Prince Mohammed’s reputation on the world stage. “Our vision is a prosperous Middle East,” one Saudi official said, “because without your region developing with you, there are limits to what you can achieve.” Regardless of what happens next, Riyadh’s agenda is clear: minimising turbulence abroad to keep the focus on a raft of economic and social reforms at home. Riyadh had long openly championed Assad’s ouster. Saudi Arabia and Syria are also in talks on resuming consular services, state media in the kingdom said Thursday, more than a decade after the Gulf kingdom cut ties with President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The Iran deal still needs to be implemented, with embassies due to reopen by the second week of May after seven years of severed bilateral ties. Yet it’s too soon to know whether such de-escalatory measures will succeed - and how far they will go. The deal with Iran in particular “marks a sea change in his political approach”, signalling “maturity and a more realistic understanding of regional power politics”, said Umar Karim, an expert on Saudi foreign policy at the University of Birmingham. He has also worked to mend bitter rifts with regional rivals like Qatar and Turkey, and even offered up the Gulf kingdom as a possible mediator for the war in Ukraine.Īnalysts say it points to an evolution of Prince Mohammed, now 37, from erratic disruptor to pragmatic power player. Note: zone-free travel is not available for 2-zone Navigo weekly travel passes (zones 2-3, 3-4 and 4-5).Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman once compared Iran’s supreme leader to Hitler, but has now green-lit a reconciliation deal intended to usher in a new era of regional prosperity.Īs a 29-year-old defence minister, he launched a ferocious assault on Huthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen, but is now pursuing back-channel talks that could ultimately remove Saudi forces from the conflict. The time taken into consideration is the time the ticket is validated when you enter the public transport network. on the day before classes resume, as decreed by the French Ministry of Education. on the day following the end of classes to 11:59 p.m. during short-term school holidays in Zone C (Île-de-France region school district) (autumn, Christmas, winter and spring breaks), from 12 a.m.on public holidays, all day long, from 12 a.m.all weekend long, from Saturday, 12 a.m., through Sunday 11:59 p.m.You may use all public transport in the Île-de-France region regardless of the zones specified on your travel pass: The 2-zone Navigo monthly travel passes (zones 2-3, 3-4 and 4-5) allow “zone-free” travel during certain periods. To travel outside of your two zones, you may purchase a top-up ticket and pay only for the extra distance travelled. The “2-zone” travel pass allows you unlimited travel in the selected zones.The “all zones” travel pass allows you unlimited travel in all zones, every day of the week.You may travel on all of the public transport networks in the Île-de-France region: metro, RER, bus, tram and train, with the exception of Orlyval, SNCF train lines with reserved seating, and the Optile special fare lines. The Navigo monthly and weekly travel passes allow you unlimited use of the public transport networks in the zones you have selected.

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