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º£½ÇÖ±²¥ leads Arab world in congratulating Trump

º£½ÇÖ±²¥'s King Salman sent a cable of congratulations to Donald Trump on his election victory. (AFP)
º£½ÇÖ±²¥'s King Salman sent a cable of congratulations to Donald Trump on his election victory. (AFP)
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Updated 06 November 2024

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ leads Arab world in congratulating Trump

º£½ÇÖ±²¥'s King Salman sent a cable of congratulations to Donald Trump on his election victory. (AFP)
  • King Salman wishes Trump and Americans ‘progress and prosperity’
  • Leaders of Jordan and Egypt urge Trump to help bring peace

RIYADH: Arab leaders congratulated Donald Trump on Wednesday after his comprehensive victory in the US presidential election.

º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s King Salman sent a cable of congratulations to Trump, wishing him success and the “American people further progress and prosperity.â€

The king praised the strong historical ties between the two nations, “emphasizing the shared desire to further strengthen these bonds in all areas.â€

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also sent a cable to congratulate Trump. In a phone call later on Wednesday, the crown prince expressed the Kingdom’s aspiration to strengthen Saudi-US relations. He wished the American people progress and prosperity under Trump’s leadership.

The Republican made º£½ÇÖ±²¥ his first foreign visit after he took office for his first term as president in 2017. The visit underlined the importance of the historic US-Saudi partnership and cemented relations with Gulf allies.

Those countries congratulated Trump after he declared victory in a sweeping election win over Democrat Kamala Harris.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan offered “sincere congratulations to Trump and his running mate JD Vance.â€

Skeikh Mohamed added: “The UAE and US are united by our enduring partnership based on shared ambitions for progress.

“The UAE looks forward to continuing to work with our partners in the US towards a future of opportunity, prosperity and stability for all.â€

During Trump’s first term, his administration brokered the 2020 Abraham Accords deal under which Israel opened full relations with the UAE and a number of other Arab countries.

However, the devastating war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and its expansion into Lebanon has drawn widespread condemnation of Israel from regional leaders and dominated foreign policy discussion throughout the election campaign, with Trump promising to bring fighting to an end.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said he hoped Trump’s return to the White House would help bring peace to the Middle East.

“I wish him all the success and I look forward to reaching peace together, upholding regional stability and strengthening the strategic partnership between Egypt and the United States,†El-Sisi said.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II also invoked the need for the next US president to work toward peace.

“Warmest congratulations to President Donald Trump on winning the US presidential election,†he said. “Looking forward to working with you again to bolster Jordan’s longstanding partnership with the United States, in service of regional and global peace and stability for all.â€

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the emir of Qatar, which is a key mediator in the Gaza conflict and hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East, said he looked forward to “working together again in promoting security and stability both in the region and globally.â€


Tokyo governor keen to attract investors from º£½ÇÖ±²¥

Tokyo governor keen to attract investors from º£½ÇÖ±²¥
Updated 20 October 2025

Tokyo governor keen to attract investors from º£½ÇÖ±²¥

Tokyo governor keen to attract investors from º£½ÇÖ±²¥

TOKYO: Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko, speaking ahead of her trip to the Middle East later this month, emphasized the importance of attracting investment from º£½ÇÖ±²¥ during her weekly press conference.

“We are currently in the midst of attracting investors to º£½ÇÖ±²¥, a country that is enthusiastic about investing, so I think it is extremely valuable to promote Tokyo there,†she said. â€œI hope to promote Tokyo’s initiatives and appeal, and foster cooperation between cities.â€

Koike referred to the Future Cities Initiative in Riyadh, which, she pointed out, has attracted a great deal of attention by bringing together investors and those involved in innovation and financial strategy. 

“To give you an idea, people like Elon Musk have attended this event,†she said. “And it attracts roughly 5,000 people, making it a sort of â€˜Davos in the desert.’ At these events, I hope to firmly promote Tokyo’s financial market and engage in investor relations.â€

While Koike is keen to boost business opportunities, she will also be promoting so-called soft power, such as anime and manga. She will be appearing on stage with Takahashi Yoichi, the creator of Captain Tsubasa, who is known as Captain Majid in the Middle East. Koike said anime and its content are said to have an economic impact of approximately 8 trillion yen.

Koike will be conducting business matching for Tokyo-based small and medium-sized enterprises and startups in Riyadh and Kuwait, as well as Tokyo’s â€œexcellent technology†to local government officials and business communities. 

 

 

 


Saudi crown prince, French president discuss Gaza developments and regional stability

Saudi crown prince, French president discuss Gaza developments and regional stability
Updated 20 October 2025

Saudi crown prince, French president discuss Gaza developments and regional stability

Saudi crown prince, French president discuss Gaza developments and regional stability
  • Talks focused on the situation in the Gaza Strip and ongoing efforts to end the conflict and restore stability in the Middle East

RIYADH: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a phone call on Sunday from French President Emmanuel Macron, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The two leaders reviewed cooperation across various fields and discussed regional and international developments of mutual concern.

Talks focused on the situation in the Gaza Strip and ongoing efforts to end the conflict and restore stability in the Middle East.

Prince Mohammed and Macron stressed the importance of immediately alleviating the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people and achieving a complete Israeli withdrawal.

They also underscored the need to take practical steps toward a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution.


º£½ÇÖ±²¥ welcomes immediate ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, center right, and Afghan Defense Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob shake hands.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, center right, and Afghan Defense Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob shake hands.
Updated 19 October 2025

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ welcomes immediate ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, center right, and Afghan Defense Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob shake hands.
  • Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to an immediate truce during talks in Doha, both sides said on Sunday, after a week of fierce border clashes

RIYADH: º£½ÇÖ±²¥ on Sunday welcomed the announcement of an immediate ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to an immediate truce during talks in Doha, both sides said on Sunday, after a week of fierce border clashes, the worst violence between the South Asian neighbours since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the “Kingdom affirms its support for all regional and international efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability, and its constant commitment to ensuring security in a way that achieves stability and prosperity for the brotherly Pakistani and Afghan peoples.â€

It added that the Kingdom looked forward to an end to tensions on the border between the two countries.

After peace talks in Doha, Qatar’s foreign ministry said early Sunday that “the two sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries.â€

They also agreed to follow-up meetings in the coming days to ensure the ceasefire, the Qatari foreign ministry added.


º£½ÇÖ±²¥ highlights green efforts at G20 meeting

Osama Faqeeha, deputy minister for the environment at the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture. (SPA)
Osama Faqeeha, deputy minister for the environment at the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture. (SPA)
Updated 19 October 2025

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ highlights green efforts at G20 meeting

Osama Faqeeha, deputy minister for the environment at the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture. (SPA)
  • Faqeeha highlighted º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s role in advancing environmental protection nationally, regionally, and internationally

RIYADH: º£½ÇÖ±²¥ reaffirmed its leadership in supporting international efforts to combat land degradation and drought and to promote environmental sustainability. It also contributes to global initiatives to protect natural resources.

The statement came during º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s participation in the G20 Ministers of Environment and Climate Change meeting in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Saudi delegation was headed by Osama Faqeeha, deputy minister for the environment at the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.

The meeting aimed to strengthen international cooperation on environmental challenges and ecosystem protection, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

Faqeeha highlighted º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s role in advancing environmental protection nationally, regionally, and internationally.

He pointed to initiatives launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative — and the National Environment Strategy.

He also noted the Kingdom’s progress in expanding afforestation projects, combating desertification, rehabilitating degraded lands, and increasing protected areas by more than 400 percent.

Faqeeha underscored º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s role in the G20, including launching the Global Initiative to Reduce Land Degradation and the Global Coral Reef Initiative during its 2020 G20 presidency.

He said the Kingdom has influenced global environmental dialogue, particularly by hosting the 16th UN Convention to Combat Desertification Conference in Riyadh in 2024.

The conference, the largest in the convention’s history, led to the Riyadh Declaration and more than 35 resolutions on sustainable land management, community empowerment, and research innovation.

About 40 initiatives were introduced as part of the Riyadh Agenda, including the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, aimed at strengthening global cooperation against drought.

 


More than 14,000 trees, seedlings planted in Qassim

More than 14,000 trees, seedlings planted in Qassim
Updated 19 October 2025

More than 14,000 trees, seedlings planted in Qassim

More than 14,000 trees, seedlings planted in Qassim
  • Supporting nursery development and expansion, the ministry has planted 6,000 seedlings in its nurseries and distributed 3,780 to citizens and participating entities

RIYADH: The 16th phase of the Green Qassim Land initiative, launched by Qassim Gov. Prince Faisal bin Mishaal, is underway as part of the broader Saudi Green Initiative to enhance vegetation and promote environmental sustainability.

The Qassim branch of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has planted about 4,760 trees in Buraidah and other localities, along with holding an educational workshop on the safe disposal of agricultural waste.

The initiative has been taken to 19 schools as part of an environmental awareness program, planting 340 trees on school grounds, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

Supporting nursery development and expansion, the ministry has planted 6,000 seedlings in its nurseries and distributed 3,780 to citizens and participating entities.

The Qassim Municipality works to enhance vegetation, increase awareness, initiate volunteer programs, promote a tree-planting culture, and run campaigns to prevent pollution and harmful practices.

These efforts aim to improve the quality of life, achieve environmental sustainability, and expand green spaces, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.