RIYADH: Saudi Arabia plans to allow alcohol sales to non-Muslim diplomats for the first time, two sources familiar with the plan said on Wednesday, modifying strict rules governing liquor in the conservative country.

Alcohol “will be sold to non-Muslim diplomats” who previously had to import alcohol via a diplomatic pouch, or sealed official package, one of the sources said.

The sales will take place in a store in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, a neighbourhood of foreign missions and residences west of the city centre, according to a document.

Access to the store will be restricted to people who register on an application known as the Diplo App, and monthly quotas will be enforced, the document said. Prohibition has been the law of the land in Saudi Arabia since 1952, shortly after one of King Abdulaziz’s sons got drunk and, in a rage, shot dead a British diplomat.

The kingdom prohibited whiskey after one of king’s sons got drunk and shot dead a British diplomat in 1952

Rumours have swirled for years that alcohol would become available in the Gulf kingdom amid a wave of social reforms introduced as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 agenda, among them the introduction of cinemas and mixed-gender music festivals.

A Saudi government statement on Wednesday said authorities were introducing “a new regulatory framework... to counter the illicit trade of alcohol goods and products received by diplomatic missions”.

The statement added: “The new process will focus on allocating specific quantities of alcohol goods when entering the Kingdom to put an end to the previous unregulated process that caused an uncontrolled exchange of such goods in the Kingdom.” The policy “will continue to grant and ensure that all diplomats of non-Muslim embassies have access to these products in specified quotas,” it said.

Strict rules

Access to the store in the Diplomatic Quarter “is strictly restricted to non-Muslims”, according to the document. “No persons under the age of 21 are allowed inside the store” and “proper attire is required”, it says.

Those who register with the app are unable to send relatives, drivers, assistants or colleagues in their place, it says. Use of mobile phones is prohibited in the store.

Under the quota system, those authorised to access the store will be able to purchase 240 “points” of alcohol per month. A litre of spirits is worth six points, a litre of wine is worth three points and a litre of beer is worth one point.

The Saudi government statement indicated that not much would change immediately for the vast majority of Saudi Arabia’s 32 million people, who have few ways to imbibe unless they are willing to travel abroad.

Beyond attending receptions in the Diplomatic Quarter, they can make homemade wine or turn to the black market, where bottles of whiskey can go for hundreds of dollars ahead of holidays like New Year’s Eve.

Regional rivalry

Vision 2030 seeks to transform the world’s biggest crude exporter into a business, tourism and sports hub, laying the groundwork for a post-oil economy. Wednesday’s news came as Saudi Arabia increasingly competes with its neighbours, especially Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, for foreign investment and tourism dollars.

This month, for example, authorities implemented a rule requiring multinational firms to set up regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia or lose out on government contracts.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2024