Saudi Arabia

19 May 2023; MEMO: Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, attended a Summit of the Arab League in Saudi Arabia on Friday to canvas support for his people, while Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed his readiness to mediate in the war between Moscow and Kyiv, Reuters reports.

19 May 2023; MEMO: Every handshake would count, and Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad had plenty of them at Friday's Arab League Summit – along with hugs and kisses – from his one time foes in the region, Reuters reports.

As he strolled into the Summit venue in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Friday afternoon, a beaming Assad extended his arms to Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who grabbed them both and kissed Assad once on each cheek.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, May 19 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was given a warm welcome at an Arab summit on Friday, winning a hug from Saudi Arabia's crown prince at a meeting of leaders who had shunned him for years, in a policy shift opposed by the U.S. and other Western powers.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shook hands with a beaming Assad as the summit got underway in Jeddah, turning the page on enmity towards a leader who drew on support from Shi'ite Iran and Russia to beat back his foes in Syria's civil war.

JEDDAH, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The 32nd Arab League Summit kicked off in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Friday with the participation of Arab leaders to discuss regional and global issues that are crucial to the region's stability.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attended the summit for the first time since his country was suspended from the Arab League after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.

15 May 2023; MEMO: Starting today, residents in Saudi Arabia who do not have a permit will not be allowed to enter Makkah, the Saudi General Security said.

It noted in a statement that this comes in implementation of the Hajj regulations, which requires residents wishing to enter Makkah to obtain a permit to do so from the concerned authorities.

11 May 2023; MEMO: Iran's Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs arrived in Jeddah, a Saudi Arabian port city on the Red Sea, on Thursday, in the first visit to the Kingdom by a senior Iranian official since the restoration of diplomatic relations, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Ehsan Khandouzi is leading a high-level economic delegation to Saudi Arabia, according to state media, as the two countries move to rejuvenate economic ties.

10 May 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia is planning to transform Islam's second holiest city of Madinah into a "modern Islamic and cultural destination" according to a report yesterday by Arab News.

11 May 2023; MEMO: Two days after Syria was reinstated to the Arab League at its meeting in Cairo, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, on Tuesday, that the Kingdom will resume the work of its diplomatic mission in Syria.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry added in its statement said that resuming the diplomatic mission's work in Syria is based on the brotherly ties that unite the Saudi and Syrian peoples and reflects keenness to contribute to developing joint Arab action.

9 May 2023; MEMO: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), on Tuesday, strongly condemned Israeli airstrikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip, Anadolu News Agency reports.

At least 13 Palestinians were killed and 20 others injured in Israeli air raids on the coastal territory early Tuesday, according to the Health Ministry. The fatalities included four children and four women.

08 May 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia pledged on Sunday to provide $100 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan and announced the organisation of a national campaign to collect donations, Anadolu news agency reported.

More than 550 people have been killed and thousands injured in fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group since April 15, according to Sudan's Health Ministry.