Saudi Arabia

16 Apr 2023; MEMO: A senior delegation representing the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas – is to visit Saudi Arabia today after years of declining relations, according to Arabic media reports.

12 Apr 2023; MEMO: An Iranian technical delegation, on Wednesday, arrived in Saudi Arabia for the reopening of Tehran's embassy in Riyadh, Iran's official media reported, Anadolu News Agency reports.

According to IRNA news agency, the delegation will later travel to Jeddah to inspect the Consulate office and the Iranian mission to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

11 Apr 2023; MEMO: The General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has sent invitations to member States to attend a meeting next Friday in the Saudi capital, Jeddah, to discuss the possibility of Syria's return to the Arab League, a Qatari official said.

A spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majid Al-Ansari, said Doha has received the invitation adding that Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, will also participate in the "consultative meeting" since they are "concerned countries".

09 Apr 2023; MEMO: CIA Director Bill Burns paid an unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia, expressing frustration about Riyadh's recent rapprochement with Iran, according to a report, says Anadolu Agency.

Burns told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that the US felt "blindsided" by Riyadh's rapprochement with Iran and Syria – Washington's global rivals – according to the Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the matter.

RIYADH/ADEN, April 7 (Reuters) - Saudi and Omani envoys are planning to visit Yemen's capital Sanaa next week to negotiate a permanent ceasefire deal with Iran-aligned Houthi officials and end an eight-year-old conflict there, two people involved in the talks said.

The move signals that regional rifts are easing after rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore relations last month following years of hostility and backing opposite sides in Middle Eastern conflicts, including Yemen.

06 Apr 2023; MEMO: CIA Director, William Burns, held talks in Saudi Arabia with his counterparts and national leaders to reaffirm intelligence cooperation, a US official said on Thursday, as the Kingdom and its arch-rival, Iran renew ties in a China-brokered deal, Reuters reports.

05 Apr 2023; MEMO: In line with its ambitions to diversify its economy away from oil and to become a video gaming powerhouse, Saudi Arabia will be investing $38 billion in the local online gaming industry in Riyadh.

RIYADH, April 5 (Reuters) - The top envoys for Saudi Arabia and Iran will meet in Beijing on Thursday, an Iranian official and a Saudi-owned newspaper said, as the two regional rivals work to hash out next steps of their diplomatic rapprochement amid a China-brokered deal.

The meeting between Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, will be the first formal meeting between Saudi Arabia and Iran's most senior diplomats in more than seven years.

03 Apr 2023; MEMO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, today, to meet Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and discuss expanding the scope of investment in the North African state.

The visit comes in light of a severe economic crisis in Egypt, especially the lack of US dollars available to pay for necessary imports and settle debt instalments.

RIYADH/BEIRUT, April 2 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is planning to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to an Arab League summit that Riyadh is hosting in May, three sources familiar with the plans said, a move that would formally end Syria's regional isolation.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan will travel to Damascus in coming weeks to hand Assad a formal invitation to attend the summit scheduled for May 19, two of the sources said.