Category: General

Riyadh, Under the patronage of Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef, Vice Minister for Mining Affairs Eng. Khalid Al-Mudaifer inaugurated a discussion panel at Investing in Africa Mining Conference (Mining INDABA 2022) to review investment opportunities and the potential of the infrastructure and legislation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which make it the first global destination for investment in the mining sector.

The panel saw the participation of several representatives of government institutions that participated within the Invest Saudi pavilion, where Jamil Al-Ghamdi from National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP) provided a general outlook on the targets and achievements of the program, while Haya Al-Qahtani from the Ministry of Investment referred to the role of the Invest Saudi program, reviewing the great potential and solid infrastructure that make the Kingdom one of the best investment environments in the world.

Jawaher Al-Dighither of the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources spoke about the top elements attracting exploration and mining efforts in the Kingdom, while Mustafa Makki of the Saudi Geological Survey highlighted the importance of the data resulting from geological surveys and delivered a presentation on the national geological information base and the top minerals available in the Kingdom. Abdulrahman Al-Bloushi of the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources reviewed promising investment opportunities in the Kingdom, which includes several mining locations in various regions.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through its participation, seeks to highlight its efforts in developing the mining sector that achieved revenues exceeding SAR 727 million (USD 194 million) in 2021 and succeeded in attracting investments worth over SAR 30 billion (USD 8 billion).

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Kabul, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) distributed yesterday 550 food baskets to the neediest groups in Afghanistan, benefiting 550 families.

This aid comes as part of the relief and humanitarian efforts provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the KSrelief, to the affected countries and peoples around the world.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Beijing, About 40 people were injured when a passenger plane caught fire at the Jiangbei International Airport in Chongqing, China (southwest China), TASS quoted the airport’s statement.

“All 113 passengers and nine crew members on board the aircraft have been safely evacuated. About 40 people were slightly injured, they were taken to medical facilities where they were treated,” the airport said in a statement on WeiBo.

The incident happened around 08:09 local time – during takeoff, the aircraft skidded off the runway and caught fire.

The aircraft was reportedly damaged as a result.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

London, The UK Home Office has announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain will join other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states with electronic visa waiver status, as of June 1, 2022, which will contribute to deepening the partnership and strengthening diplomatic relations and economic prosperity.

In a statement issued today, the UK Home Office affirmed that “an electronic visa waiver allows the holder to travel to the UK without obtaining a visa provided they complete an online waiver for each visit. A small fee will be applied, and it is quicker than applying for a visa as there is no need to provide biometric information (photo and fingerprints), attend a visa application center or hand in your passport in advance of travel.”

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said that “This visa waiver for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will better connect the people of our countries and boost economic prosperity. The electronic visa waiver is a quick, digital alternative to the regular visit visa and ensures all the necessary security checks are carried out in advance of travel. The visa improvements announced today will provide greater security for our citizens while making it easier and cheaper for visitors from the GCC to travel here for leisure and business.”

For her part, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that “this visa waiver will strengthen our relationships with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, making it easier for visitors from the Gulf to come to the UK. Our friendships with both countries are of great importance, built on shared priorities such as trade, investment and security.”

It is noteworthy that eligible individuals can provide notification of travel with an electronic visa waiver up to three months before travel and as late as 48 hours before travel.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Dhahran, The Saudi Arabian Oil Company “Aramco” is exploring further collaboration with Thailand’s national oil company PTT, as it expands its downstream presence in Asia. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding at a ceremony in Bangkok on May 11.

The companies aim to strengthen cooperation across crude oil sourcing and the marketing of refining and petrochemical products and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Other potential areas of activity include blue and green hydrogen and various clean energy initiatives.

Aramco’s Vice President Sales, Trading and Supply Planning Ibrahim Al-Buainain said: “Today represents an important step forward as we deepen and broaden this relationship to achieve greater cooperation across a wide range of activities, from sourcing crude oil and marketing refining and petrochemical products and LNG, to exploring blue and green hydrogen and progressing other clean energy initiatives.”

PTT President & Chief Executive Officer Auttapol Rerkpiboon said: “Today marks a significant milestone for PTT and Aramco as we look to the future and extend our collaboration beyond conventional energy. It also reflects our ongoing commitment to security of supply as we embrace the energy transition.”

Disathat Panyarachun, PTT Senior Executive Vice President, International Trading Business Unit, said: “PTT and Aramco have built strong ties around the supply and trading of crude oil and other products. Extending our collaboration across the value chain to include emerging decarbonization initiatives is a great opportunity to strengthen our relationship and foster further business growth. This also aligns with our ‘green and clean’ strategy which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Marrakesh, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs chaired the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the ministerial meeting of the international coalition against the terrorist organization of Daesh, which was held in Marrakesh in the Kingdom of Morocco.

During his speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s appreciation for the significant and tangible role played by anti-Daesh international coalition, which played a decisive role in eliminating its expansion and spread in Iraq and Syria.

He further said, “We should never forget that the threat of this organization still exists, that would require everyone to continue efforts and continuous coordination to eliminate it completely.”

Prince Faisal bin Farhan also affirmed that the Kingdom continues to maintain its firm stance towards supporting the efforts of the international coalition against Daesh, stressing the Kingdom’s keenness on the stability of Iraq and the extension of its influence and sovereignty over its entire territory, and praised the efforts made by Iraq and its continuous coordination with the International Coalition for the elimination of this organization.

He also indicated the Kingdom’s keenness to support reconstruction projects in Iraq, support efforts to stabilize the liberated areas in Syria, and stabilize the security and the economic situation there, pointing out that the Kingdom has established a number of centers, the most important of which is the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal), which works at the regional and international levels to combat extremist messages.

At the conclusion of his speech, Prince Faisal bin Farhan reiterated the Kingdom’s welcome and support for the establishment of the focus group on Africa since its inception to confront the growing threat of the spread of Daesh in the African continent.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Kabul– King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) on Tuesday distributed 650 food baskets in Asadabad, Afghanistan, benefiting 3,900 families.

This aid comes as part of the relief and humanitarian efforts provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by KSrelief, to the affected countries and peoples around the world.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Jeddah– Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has sent a written message to the Emir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, concerning the strong fraternal relations and ways to support and enhance them.

The message was delivered by Prince Sultan bin Saad bin Khalid, Saudi Ambassador to Kuwait, when he was received by the Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Cape Town– The Saudi Arabian Mining Company “MA’ADEN” showcased its ambitious growth strategy during the “Mining Indaba 2022” conference held in South Africa.

CEO of MA’ADEN Robert Wilt gave a keynote presentation at the conference, outlining the company’s strategic growth plans, highlighting the wide-ranging opportunities for partnerships and the vast potential of the Saudi mining ecosystem.

Wilt highlighted the significant progress MA’ADEN has made in achieving its ambitious growth targets, strengthening its position as a Saudi mining champion with a global presence, while contributing to Saudi Vision 2030.

Wilt said: “Our focus is to increase our production capacity across the value chain, while continuing to invest in exploration. Saudi Arabia’s untapped mineral resources are estimated to be $1.3 trillion. Our goal over the next few years will be to transform that raw material into value for the Kingdom and become one of the world’s mining leaders”.

“We will be looking for partners to help us deliver on our exploration, technology & innovation and sustainability goals. We look forward to working more closely with the wider mining ecosystem and forming mutually beneficial strategic partnerships.” Wilt said.

MA’ADEN is also working to lead by example on several ESG goals aligned with the Saudi Green Initiative and will look to create value-added partnerships in this domain.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Jazan– Jazan Region has made vast steps in developing the agriculture of mango and expanding its production through increasing farmers and preparing farms and trees, achieving one of the targets of the Saudi Vision 2030 through the sustainable agricultural rural development program that was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture with the aim of improving the agricultural rural sector and contributing to raising the living conditions of rural families and increasing the production efficiency, improving the lifestyle, and realizing food security, including supporting the planting of mango.

The production of Jazan jumped from 18,000 tons of mango annually in May 2005 with the launch of the first edition of the annual mango festival, when the region included 250,000 trees only at the time that produced 30 types, to reaching 19,109 farms of mango in 2022 that includes 1,000,000 mango trees with an annual production of 65,000 tons.

The Agricultural Research Center in Jazan contributed to developing mango farming, where center fields currently incubates the mothers and oldest of mango trees in the region, where planting mangos started in 1973 as an experiment, before the modern experiment starts in 1983 through introducing new global kinds from the US, Kenya, Egypt and India, which reached 60 kinds that achieved wide successes.

The mango production season starts in mid-March to reach its peak in May, where mango production is characterized by high quality and competitiveness in various global markets, and high ability of shipping and exportation.

Mango farming is spread across several governorates in Jazan Region, where Siba Governorate hosts one of the biggest mango farms with more than 30,000 trees whose production exceed 600 tons annually.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

A report by Saudi Press Agency (SPA) as part of the economic file for Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA)

Prepared by Khalid Al-Amoudi

Riyadh– The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is characterized by a strategic and important geographical location through overlooking the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea, making it a big connection between the three continents of Asia, Europe and Africa and a main transport hub for the land, air and sea commercial routes, which was invested by the Saudi Vision 2030 that relied on diversifying the non-oil economy through launching pioneering programs and goals that can make the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a global logistic hub.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has launched the National Transport and Logistics Strategy – which is one of the basic aspects for the 2030 Saudi Vision – that contributes to enhancing the human and technical capabilities in the transport and logistics services sector, boosting connection with the global economy, enabling the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to invest its geographical location amidst the three continents in diversifying its economy through establishing advanced industries of logistic services.

The strategy aims at making the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a global center for transport and logistics services, and increasing the contribution of the sector to 10% of the GDP up from its current rate of 6%, in addition to make the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia among the top 35 countries on the cross-border commerce index, and to become among the top 6 countries in the quality of roads, and ship more than 4.5 million tons through air annually, as well as increasing destinations to over 250 international destinations.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has 13 ports on the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea, where 13 per cent of the global trade pass through them, and these ports contribute to the access of 70% of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s imports and 95% of its exports through 291 docks.

According to data released by General Authority for Statistics, the total value of non-oil exports from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2021 reached SAR 187,950,268,805, while the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s imports in the same year reached SAR 343,665,939,711.

CEO of the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) Omar Al-Hariri, speaking to SPA, said that Mawani has endorsed is new corporate strategy in a way that supports commerce and economic development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, noting that the attractiveness and status of Saudi ports have made the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia realize the fifth quickest country in the world in dealing with container ships.

As a result of the unlimited support of the wise leadership to the ports sector, the size of handling tons of goods during the first quarter of 2022 increased by 7.18% with a total of more than 74 million tons, where the number of shipped containers increased by 5.91% with around 1.3 million standard containers, when compared with the same period of 2021. Saudi ports also recorded hikes in several other operational indicators, such as the increase in the number of cars by 12.85% with a total of 219,488 cars, the increase of passengers by 61.7% to 258,076, and an increase in the number of ships by 0.28% to a total of 3,186 ships.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Jeddah– The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has expressed strong condemnation of the assassination of Al-Jazeera correspondent, Shireen Abu Akleh, in the Palestinian territories, stressing that this crime constituted a blatant violation of international laws and norms and required immediate investigation and holding those responsible to account.

The OIC stressed that the Israeli occupation forces’ targeting of Abu Akleh while on duty reporting facts and documenting crimes committed against the Palestinian people, came in the context of the Israeli violations of press and media freedom, and as part of its policy aimed at blocking the truth, covering up its daily violations, and withholding such information from the world public opinion.

The OIC held Israel, the occupying power, fully responsible for this heinous crime, and called on the relevant international institutions to take immediate action to ensure justice and provide the necessary protection for journalists and media professionals working in the occupied Palestinian territory in accordance with international humanitarian law and relevant international conventions.

Source: Saudi Press Agency