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Saudi foreign ministry official meets Sudan’s consul general in Jeddah

Fareed bin Saad Al-Shehri (R) holds talks with Kamal Ali Othman Taha in Jeddah. (Supplied)
Fareed bin Saad Al-Shehri (R) holds talks with Kamal Ali Othman Taha in Jeddah. (Supplied)
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Updated 30 December 2024

Saudi foreign ministry official meets Sudan’s consul general in Jeddah

Fareed bin Saad Al-Shehri (R) holds talks with Kamal Ali Othman Taha in Jeddah. (Supplied)
  • Taha presented his credentials to Al-Shehri, and they discussed various topics of common interest

JEDDAH: Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs branch in Makkah Fareed bin Saad Al-Shehri received Consul General of Sudan in Jeddah Kamal Ali Othman Taha at the ministry’s branch in Jeddah on Monday.

Taha presented his credentials to Al-Shehri, and they discussed various topics of common interest, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Meanwhile, Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majed Al-Hogail recently received the Sports Investment Forum plaque in recognition of the ministry’s important role in developing infrastructure and providing a supportive environment for sustainable sports investment.


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

Saudi crown prince, French president discuss Gaza developments and regional stability
Updated 11 sec ago

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

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

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 bilateral 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.


ֱ 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 42 min 7 sec ago

ֱ 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: ֱ 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.”

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.”

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


ֱ 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

ֱ highlights green efforts at G20 meeting

Osama Faqeeha, deputy minister for the environment at the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture. (SPA)
  • Faqeeha highlighted ֱ’s role in advancing environmental protection nationally, regionally, and internationally

RIYADH: ֱ 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 ֱ’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 ֱ’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 ֱ’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.

 


Saudi project clears 1,191 explosive devices in Yemen

The project trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. (Supplied)
The project trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. (Supplied)
Updated 19 October 2025

Saudi project clears 1,191 explosive devices in Yemen

The project trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. (Supplied)
  • Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the initiative’s managing director, said that 519,824 mines have been cleared since the project began in 2018

RIYADH: Members of ֱ’s Project Masam removed 1,191 explosive devices from various regions of Yemen last week.

The total included 1,135 unexploded ordnances, 49 anti-tank mines, five anti-personnel mines and two improvised explosive devices, according to a recent report.

Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the initiative’s managing director, said that 519,824 mines have been cleared since the project began in 2018.

The explosives were planted indiscriminately and posed a threat to civilians, including children, women and the elderly.

The demining operations took place in Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale and Saada.

The project trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. It also offers support to Yemenis injured by the devices.

Teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid.