Saudi Arabia

27 Oct 2021; MEMO: An Israeli flight landed in Saudi Arabia for the first time yesterday morning, Israeli Public Broadcaster Kan reported.

According to the Times of Israel, this came only one day after the first flight from Saudi Arabia landed in Israel.

Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have official relations, but they have been exchanging secret visits and holding talks.

RIYADH, Oct 24 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, inaugurated yesterday, the annual Saudi Green Initiative Forum, in the capital, Riyadh.

He announced the introduction of the first package of initiatives, representing investments worth more than 700 billion Saudi Riyals (186.6 billion U.S. dollars).

22 Oct 2021; MEMO: Former Saudi intelligence official, Saad Aljabri, yesterday accused the kingdom's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) of holding his children hostage in the Gulf state.

Al Jabri re-iterated his previous claims that the Saudi royal was plotting to send a hitman to kill him, adding: "Bin Salman has taken my children, Sarah and Omar, hostage as part of his plot."

RIYADH, Oct 22 (APP): Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Lt. Gen. (r) Bilal Akbar Friday said that with 2 million Pakistani expatriates already working in the Kingdom, the number was expected to reach around 2.5 million in coming years due to increased human resource requirements under the 2030 vision of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz.

20 Oct 2021; MEMO: Saudi Arabia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Abdullah Bin Yahya Al-Mouallimi, yesterday slammed Israel, saying that it has "robbed the Palestinian people of their most basic rights".

19 Oct 2021; MEMO: The naval forces of Saudi Arabia and the US have kicked off a joint maritime exercise in the Red Sea, aimed at strengthening relations and military cooperation between the two countries.

The "Indigo Defender-21" exercise, which will last for 10 days, was launched yesterday in the presence of Rear Admiral, Mansour Bin Saud Al-Junaid, the Assistant commander of the Kingdom's Western Fleet and Naval Colonel, Daniel Bailey, of the US Navy.

18 Oct 2021; MEMO: Saudi Arabia's sports fans will be allowed to attend full-capacity events at all stadiums and other sports facilities starting on Sunday, the country's ministry of sports announced in a statement on Saturday, Reuters reports.

Stadiums and other sports facilities will limit entry to fans who have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine approved by the kingdom, the ministry said.

07 Oct 2021; MEMO: Saudi Arabia is planning to locally produce 70 per cent of the energy products it requires over the next ten years, the country's energy minister announced yesterday.

Abdulaziz Bin Salman told reporters in the Saudi city of Dammam that the move was part of the kingdom's efforts to "increase Saudis employment across various economic sectors."

04 Oct 2021; MEMO: Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan yesterday confirmed that his country had held talks with regional rival Iran last month; the first since President Ibrahim Raisi took office.

"The fourth round of talks took place on September 21," Bin Farhan said in Riyadh during a joint press conference with the European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.

"These discussions are still in the exploratory phase, and we hope that they lay the foundation to address issues between the two sides," he added.

RIYADH, Oct 3 (Reuters) - European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said during a visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday that he had briefed his partners about the prospects of restarting nuclear talks with Iran and hoped that would happen "soon".

Borrell, speaking at a joint news conference with his Saudi counterpart, said he had also exchanged views on Afghanistan and Yemen. He said the EU was ready to pursue trade deals with Gulf Arab countries.