Day: May 25, 2021

Riyadh, The Saudi Tourism Authority, the responsible official of “Visit Saudi”, has announced the winners of the “Saudi Winter Awards for Media Excellence”, which it launched in January to stimulate journalists and innovative people to participate to shed light on top tourist destinations and sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of the Saudi Winter Season “Winter around You”. A total of 10 journalists and content creators won total awards of 250,000 Saudi riyals for participating in the five fields of the award.

Abdulrahman Al-Zahrani of MBC Channel won the first rank for the TV reports, while Mohammad Al-Qahtani of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) won the first place for media reports, and “Huda Wahon” program of the Panorama FM radio station won the first place for radio programs.

The Saudi Tourism Authority had inaugurated the “Winter around You” Season in more than 17 tourist destinations and offered more than 300 tourist packages and experiences to discover the attractive geographical and climate diversity during the winter.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh, Acting Minister of Media Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi received here today the Head of Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR) in Egypt, Karam Kamel Ibrahim Jabr.

During the meeting, aspects of joint cooperation in the media field between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Republic of Egypt were discussed.

This meeting comes within the framework of the Head of Egypt’s SCMR visit to Saudi Arabia.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh, Speaker of the Shura Council Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh tomorrow will head the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s delegation participating in the 142nd session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and meetings of the IPU Governing Council, which are planned to be held over two days via videoconference to discuss issues related to overcoming the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the roles of parliaments in efforts exerted to fight the virus, in an effective presence and participation of heads of parliaments and councils from all around the world.

Dr. Al Al-Sheikh stressed that the Council’s participation in this meeting emanates from the concern and keenness of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s leadership to effectively participate in various international events, including IPU meetings, in a way that supports efforts and discussions that can result in reaching outcomes to preserve the interests of peoples and countries all around the world.

He said, “The importance of these meetings multiplies in this time, during which the entire world suffers from the COVID-19 pandemic and its repercussions on economies, countries and peoples, which requires joining international efforts and creating wider spaces for cooperation at all levels, mainly in the parliamentary field to reach proper solutions and strategies to limit these amplifications.”

In this regard, he added that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has exerted local and international efforts in fighting the pandemic through adopting preventive measures and its endeavors to reach a vaccine, where these efforts received wide international commendation.

The Speaker pointed out that the Council’s participation in this parliamentary event embodies what the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia enjoys of entrepreneurship and weight in the regional and international arenas, thanks to its fixed and unaltered stances towards various international issues, which seek to realize international peace and security.

He added that the Shura Council, during this meeting, will join the international parliamentary community in reaching enhanced factors and solutions to overcome the pandemic, describing this phase as “exceptional”, which requires all international institutions and organizations to work towards enhancing their efforts and cooperation to increase the level of confrontation of communities and countries with this crisis and limit its health, economic and social consequences.

Dr. Al Al-Sheikh also referred to the great importance that the Council attaches to activating its foreign parliamentary role through effective participation in all parliamentary occasions and events so as to share with the world the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s pioneering experience and convey its true image and stances, in addition to acquainting them with its achievements in all fields, especially in its efforts in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Cairo, The Arab League (AL) reasserted here today commitment to the partnership with African Union (AU) to reach an Afro-Arab safe, prosperous and integrated space, emphasizing the significance of Afro-Arab cooperation against the challenges and realizing mutual interests through cooperation and collective action mechanisms.

Marking the Africa Day 2021 which falls on Tuesday, the AL pointed to the importance of revival of the black continent and continuation of working towards a bright future for an unified Africa and the importance of solidarity among the peoples of the continent to bring about stability, security and development.

The statement lauded the deepness of the Afro-Arab relations through seeking to build common policies utilizing their resources to best serve the interests of their peoples, indicating that the 5th Afro-Arab summit set to take place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2022, is to fall in line with the achievements in this regard, through the past decades and embodying the mutual willingness to push the relations forward towards furthermore expanded prospects.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh, Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi on Tuesday stressed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is exerting huge effort in upgrading its national quality policy and infrastructure, especially in the standardization and metrology fields, out of a deep realization in the metrology’s immense contributions to boosting economic and industrial growth.

Al-Qasabi’s remarks came during his inauguration speech of the International Metrology Forum 2021, which was organized by the Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO).

The minister, who is also Chairman of Board of Directors of the SASO, noted that the government is extending all forms of support to SASO, voicing pride in the organization’s highly qualified human resources and its significant contributions in supporting the Kingdom’s growth and modernization endeavor.

Underlying the importance of metrology science in boosting national and international economies, Al-Qasabi noted that the Kingdom has been devoting particular attention to the measurement and standardization field, beginning with the issuance of the first Royal decree in 1963 on the metrology bylaw through the present time.

The minister also highlighted the importance of the metrology science in improving the healthcare sector in scientific research, citing in this regard the health challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis which required collaborative international efforts to mitigate.

For his part, SASO Governor Saad bin Othman Al-Kasabi noted that the 2021 International Metrology Forum, held under the title “Measuring for Health”, came during exceptional health, economic and social circumstances with the entire world struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, underlying in this context the importance of metrology and standardization in supporting the scientific research seeking to alleviate the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis.

Emphasizing the metrology science’s contributions to enhancing the healthcare system, Al-Kasabi explained that the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) provides measurement standards and the calibration services in the radiation field to the national metrology institutions around the world and to the World Health Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency, which help in ensuring accuracy in diagnosis and effectiveness in the treatment of around seven million patients worldwide who undergo radiotherapy annually, as well as to 33 million patients diagnosed by nuclear medicine, and to more than 360 million patients diagnosed by X-rays, in addition to monitoring around 11 million people working in a radiation environment to prevent them from radiation overdoses.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Moscow, An exhibition entitled “Syrian Guardians” was opened in the Russian capital of Moscow.

The exhibition is organized by Russian regiment of firefighters and rescue workers in cooperation with Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia.

Delivering a speech during opening ceremony, Syrian Ambassador in Moscow, Riad Haddad said that this exhibition reflects deep -rooted relations binding Syrian and Russian peoples, and immortalizes sacrifices made by heroes of the Syrian Arab Army and the Russian armed forces in the fight against terrorism.

Haddad added that sacrifices made by the Russian armed forces during counter-terrorism battles in Syria , which show the Russian people as benevolent.

He voiced appreciation for Russia ,friendly people and its army over this initiative.

Source: Syria Arab News Agency

Tehran, Special Aide to the Speaker of Iranian Shura Council for International Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian reaffirmed that holding the presidential elections in Syria is a sovereign right for the Syrian state and people and no state has the right to interfere in it.

In a statement to SANA correspondent in Tehran, Abdollahian said that the Syrian people only have the right to decide their future and to elect their president, affirming that his country supports holding the Syrian presidential elections as scheduled on May 26th.

Abdollahian hailed the Syrians’ adherence to the independency of their national decision and the sovereignty of their country and its territorial integrity and their determination to participate in the presidential elections despite of the harsh circumstances due to the coronavirus and the unilateral coercive measures imposed on them.

Abdollahian stressed that Iran will continue to stand by Syria and to support it in its war against terrorism.

Source: Syria Arab News Agency

Damascus, The Syrians head for the polling stations on Wednesday to cast their votes and choose president of the Syrian Arab Republic among three candidates, Abdullah Abdullah, Bashar al-Assad and Mahmoud Marei.

With preparations completed for the judicial subcommittees in the governorates and the cessation of all forms of electoral propaganda for the candidates on Tuesday, more than 12,100 polling centers will open on Wednesday in all governorates for the Syrian citizens, as the number of eligible voters registered inside and outside Syria has reached more than 18 million.

Member of the Higher Judicial Committee for Elections, Judge Nouri Fares, said in a statement to SANA that prior to the presidential elections scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, necessary preparations had been completed to facilitate the electoral process, pointing out that all precautionary measures had been taken to address the Corona epidemic so that the voter could easily exercise his/her right.

Source: Syria Arab News Agency

Occupied Golan, Citizens of the occupied Syrian Golan affirmed that holding presidential elections on Wednesday is an assertion on Syria’s victory over all its enemies, calling for the wide participation in these elections.

“We call on the Syrian Arab people to widely participate in the elections, and for every citizen to exercise his/her right and duty,” citizens of Golan said in a statement on Tuesday.

They added it is necessary to choose the most qualified, capable person who will lead Syria in the next stage in order to continue fighting terrorism and defeating the Turkish, American and Israeli occupiers.

Source: Syria Arab News Agency

Damascus, Speaker of People’s Assembly, Hammouda Sabbagh, met a parliamentary delegation from the House of Representatives at the Belarusian National Assembly headed by chairman of the Permanent Committee of the State Building and Local Administration and Systems, Member of the Syrian –Belarusian friendship at the Belarusian House of Representatives.

Meeting with the delegation, Sabbagh thanked the Belarussian House of the Representatives for its response to an invitation to keep up with the presidential elections in Syria, indicating to the continuous development in the Belarusian –Syrian relations been enhanced throughout years.

Sabbagh called for intensifying the joint parliamentary work and enhancing the friendship and cooperation in addition to exchanging experiences through the two committees of the parliamentary friendship in both countries.

He referred to the Belarusian stances towards Syria as well as Belarus support for the just issues despite conspiracies the two countries have been exposed to by the forces hostile to the states’ sovereignty, unity and independent decision.

For his part, Head of the Belarusian delegation appreciated and thanked Syria for the invitation addressed to Belarus to keep up with the presidential elections in Syria.

He described the relation between Belarus and Syria as deeply- rooted, asserting that his country’s delegation, during the visit, will enhance the joint relations and remove all difficulties that may face their development and proceeding forward through coordination with the members of People’s Assembly.

Earlier, the Belarus parliamentary delegation arrived in Damascus to keep up with the presidential elections and to inspect its process in response to the People’s Assembly’s invitation.

Speaking to SANA delegate, Chairman of the permanent committee of the State Building and Local Administration and Regulations, Member of the Syrian-Belarussian Committee for Friendship, said that the delegation will visit on Wednesday many polling centres to inspect the process of the elections.

Source: Syria Arab News Agency

Damascus, Information Minister, Imad Sara, affirmed on Tuesday that the war, being waged on Syria, aims to target the will of the Syrians through terrorism, unjust blockade and the attempt to invest in their pains, but the Syrians have surprised the world with their belonging and amity to their Homeland.

Minster Sara, during a meeting with media delegations which arrived in Damascus to cover the presidential elections, said that the Syrians’ turnout to Syrian embassies abroad to cast their votes in the presidential elections was an indication to the failure of project, led by the axis that supports terrorism, to break the determination of the Syrians.

He pointed out to the facilitations offered by the Syrian State to the Arab and Foreign journalists in order to make press coverage of the presidential elections a success.

The media delegation comprises journalists from Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Tunisia, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan.

Source: Syria Arab News Agency