Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (pictured above) on Tuesday vowed to focus on eradicating extremism within his kingdom and a return to “moderate Islam”, AP reported. The heir to the throne stood by his reform plans including the lifting of a ban on women driving during his address at a major investment conference in Saudi Arabia.

The prince said the kingdom was “not like this in the past”. “We will eradicate the remnants of extremism very soon... We represent the moderate teachings and principles of Islam,” the monarch said.

During the conference, attended by Stephen Schwarzman of United States private equity firm Blackstone and Masayoshi Son of Japan’s technology conglomerate SoftBank, Salman announced plans to build a $500 billion city that will run only on alternative energy and serve as an innovation centre.