It is not so unusual for a developer or individual to purchase land for a future building and, for various reasons, that construction is ultimately not carried out. It’s what he did Uruguay more than 40 years ago with a piece of land in Riyadh, the capital of Arabia Saudi. In 1982, the South American country bought a 2,751 m2 plot in the embassy neighborhood for 280,000 dollars at the time, that is, more than 914,000 current dollars (about 816,000 euros).
The land was empty for a while, until the neighboring embassy of The United States transformed it into its private parking lot 15 years ago. Officially, they thought it was not free and they did not know that that land belonged to Uruguay. And now Uruguay wants to recover its land so it can build its embassy.
The parking lot of the United States Embassy in Saudi Arabia in Squatter mode
The presence of a Uruguayan representation in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East is important for the small country. A large producer of beef and sheep, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are its two main clients in the area. And, obviously, it has an embassy, but it is rented. And rents in Riyadh are skyrocketing.
“Given the sudden and strongly discretionary increase in rents that affects our offices as well as the Ambassador’s Residence, I looked for the background information at the embassy and found them quickly. “Everything was very organized and jealously guarded, the Foreign Ministry had all the records very well preserved,” explained the new Uruguayan ambassador, Nelson Yemil Chabento the newspaper ‘El Observador’.
In fact, the Uruguayan embassy already knew since 2007 that the United States was using its land as a private parking lot. However, the Uruguayan ambassador at the time, Rodolfo Invernizzi, did nothing. In 2013, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked about this area again. This time nothing was done either, since the Uruguayan ambassador at the time, Luis Almagro, had the sale of the land in his hands, although it ultimately did not come to fruition.
Thus, Chaben is the one who has initiated the efforts to recover the land. Initially, the United States and Uruguay reached a rental agreement. The problem is that Uruguay bought the land to build its diplomatic representation, not to rent it. Therefore, the contract could not be formalized because the local authorities have not given their agreement.
And in Saudi Arabia, foreigners (except residents and citizens of nearby emirates, such as Oman or the UAE) cannot own land in Saudi Arabia, except in special economic zones, commercial areas and tourist developments.
Currently, the land is very well maintained, paved and maintained, including palm trees and signage, and its value has quadrupled in these years due to its privileged location and the growing demand in the area.
Even so, the US has shown itself willing to reach a temporary agreement. You will rent the land for a maximum of three years, with a monthly rent of $2,000 (just over 1,800 euros), subject to validation by the Cadastre Directorate of the Uruguayan government. That would help cover the $5,000 a month that Uruguay pays for the rent of its embassy and the ambassador’s residence in Riyadh.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
