Saudi Arabia

12 October 2022; MEMO: Saudi's relations with the US are "strategic",  Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan said, stressing that the OPEC+ decision to cut production is a "purely economic" issue.

11 October 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has announced that female pilgrims performing Hajj or Umrah no longer require a mahram, or closely-related male guardian to accompany them.

At a press conference at the Saudi Embassy in Cairo yesterday, the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, said that women from any part of the world could visit the Two Holy Mosques without a mahram.

8 October 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has reopened a number of Turkish schools closed by the kingdom last year, according to a Turkish diplomat, Anadolu reports.

"A number of schools run by the Turkish Education Ministry began to operate since Sept. 2," Huseyin Eren Yildiz from the Turkish Consulate in Jeddah city told Anadolu Agency.

He said Turkish primary schools in the cities of Jeddah, Dammam and Tabuk have been reopened.

6 October 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has planted more than 12 million wild trees and shrubs in a bid to combat desertification.

According to the Saudi Gazette, the National Centre for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC) planted the trees while starting the Integrated Management and Sustainable Development of Pastures Project, which is part of the Kingdom's National Pasture Strategy Initiative, in line with Saudi Arabia's Visio 2030.

RIYADH, Oct 4 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabian Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, announced yesterday, the launch of the Saudi Downtown Company, for urban development across the kingdom.

Affiliated with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the company will build and develop downtown areas and mixed-use destinations in 12 cities, including Al-Madinah, Al-Baha, Najran, Jizan, Taif and Al-Jandal.

5 October 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has won the bid to host the Asian Winter Games in 2029 at its planned megacity, NEOM, making it the first Arab and Middle Eastern country set to do so.

The development was announced by Saudi Sports Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, on Twitter, where he stated that "With the unlimited support by the Saudi leadership & HRH Crown Prince [Mohammed bin Salman] to the sports sector we are proud to announce we have won the bid to host AWG TROJENA2029 as the first country in west Asia".

RIYADH, Oct 4 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabian Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, announced yesterday, the launch of the Saudi Downtown Company, for urban development across the kingdom.

Affiliated with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the company will build and develop downtown areas and mixed-use destinations in 12 cities, including Al-Madinah, Al-Baha, Najran, Jizan, Taif and Al-Jandal.

2 October 2022; MEMO: An Iranian pilgrim arrested by Saudi authorities during the Hajj pilgrimage in July has been released by Riyadh following mediation by Iraq and Oman, Anadolu Agency reported.

The news was delivered to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian by his Iraqi and Omani counterparts in separate calls on Saturday, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Sunday.

30 Sep 2022; MEMO: The General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the Israeli aggression on Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank which resulted in the death of four Palestinians and dozens being injured, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

"This [Israeli] crime and other previous repeated Israeli crimes and acts of aggression against the Palestinian people require investigation and accountability before the International Criminal Court," the OIC said in a statement.

RIYADH, Sept 28 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabian King, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, yesterday, appointed Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, as the kingdom’s prime minister.

The king, meanwhile, issued a decree, ordering a cabinet reshuffle, appointing Saudi Prince, Khalid bin Salman, as the minister of defence.

Heads of ministries that were kept unchanged include the minister of energy, the minister of foreign affairs, the minister of investment, the minister of interior, and the minister of finance.