KARACHI: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy Khalid A Al-Falih on Saturday visited the port city of Gwadar to witness development work and the area allocated for a multibillion oil refinery.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are in talks over an agreement to install the Saudi Aramco Oil Refinery in Balochistan’s Gwadar district.
Last year, the Saudis also offered Pakistan a $6-billion rescue package to help shore up the economy.
The Saudi delegation was received by Pakistan petroleum minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, port and shippings minister Syed Ali Haider Zaidi and Baluchistan information minister Zahoor Buledi.
“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are the two sound foundations of peace and stability”, Khalid A Al-Falih, said while speaking to media in Gwadar.
Al Falih, who is also chairman of the Board of Saudi Aramco, said bilateral relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are very strong and Saudia Arabai would "play its role for the development and prosperity of Pakistan."
“The Saudi delegation led by Al Falih has come to see the area allocated for the oil refinery in Gwadar. Soon a state of the art oil refinery would be set up in Gwadar”, Ghulam Sarwar said, according to a statement issued by the ministry of petroleum.
The petroleum minister said he hoped that a memorandum of understanding about the oil refinery would be signed between the two governments next month: “This would be the biggest investment of Saudi Arabia in Pakistan."
The government of Pakistan has already given approval for the MoU.
The visiting Saudi delegation was briefed by the chairman of Gwadar Development Authority, Dostain Jamaldini, about the development of the country’s deep sea port being constructed with the help of China.
Earlier, Pakistan’s Finance minister had said that Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy and the Chairman of the Board of Saudi Aramco, had arrived in Pakistan to meet with officials and new investments would be announced as the "next step."
Umar was speaking at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and called the Saudi minister the "world’s most powerful minister of energy."
“In the next step, the announcement of investment will be made,” Umar said. “The bilateral support our country has received from friendly countries in last five months has never happened in our history."
Saudi Aramco will construct the petrochemical complex which will house the multibillion oil refinery.
“Overall directions of agreement (MoU) have been agreed upon and the agreement will be signed at the appropriate time,” Haroon Sharif, Chairman of Pakistan Board of Investment, had recently told Arab News.
“I am expecting around $15 billion investment from Saudi Arabia in the next three years. The inflow of investments for the oil refinery and petrochemical complex in Pakistan is estimated to be between $6 billion to $10 billion,” Sharif said.
Pakistan is hoping to attract more than $40 billion foreign direct investment in the next five years, he said.
“We estimate that roughly around $40 billion investment will be made by these three countries (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and China) during the next three to five years,” Sharif added.
Saudi energy minister visits Pakistan’s Gwadar oil refinery site
Saudi energy minister visits Pakistan’s Gwadar oil refinery site
- Pakistan, Saudi Arabia in talks over oil refinery in Balochistan’s Gwadar district
- MoU to be signed next month
Sports medicine professionals gather at global event in Riyadh
- European College of Sports and Exercise Physicians (ECOSEP) conference will run until April 27 at the Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC under the supervision of the MOVE Center for Comprehensive Sports Medicine
- MOVE Center is the first facility specialized in integrated sports medicine in the Kingdom, focusing on diagnosing, treating, rehabilitating, educating and protecting athletes from sports injuries
RIYADH: A major global sports medicine conference began in Riyadh on Thursday, with more than 60 speakers arriving in the Saudi capital from 15 countries around the world.
The European College of Sports and Exercise Physicians (ECOSEP) conference, one of the largest events in the industry worldwide, will run until April 27 at the Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC under the supervision of the MOVE Center for Comprehensive Sports Medicine.
The MOVE Center is the first facility specialized in integrated sports medicine in the Kingdom, focusing on diagnosing, treating, rehabilitating, educating and protecting athletes from sports injuries.
Dr. Mubarak Al-Mutawa, the center’s CEO, said: “One of our main goals at MOVE is medical prevention. When I take one’s measurements and weight, and evaluate their condition, I always solve them with preventative solutions.
“The world is taking the lead toward the importance of being cautious and aware. A quality life consists of good nutrition and staying active because those factors prevent chronic conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.”
Nikos Malliaropoulos, ECOSEP secretary general and a sports consultant, told Arab News that constant learning is the most important part of working in sports medicine.
“It (sports medicine) is starting to expand all over the world and I am really happy that we are here today in Saudi Arabia, opening the doors to sports exercise medicine.
“I think it is important as Saudi Arabia will host the World Cup in 10 years. So, over the next 10 years, this knowledge needs to be expanded to all healthcare professionals. This course changed my life and my practice 20 years ago. It was the motivation and the drive to develop that.”
Dr. Amir Pakravan, a consultant in sport and musculoskeletal medicine, as well as an ECOSEP board member, told Arab News that he previously had experience working in fast-paced medical environments, which prepared him for his job as a sports consultant.
When he is on the field, Pakravan ensures that he has a checklist of procedures memorized at all times, to ensure a quick response if an athlete is injured.
“What I would say to myself is to stick to the one, two, three and four of your list and check that you have done all of them. That focus on procedure is important.”
The three-day conference will host a series of workshops as well as sessions with industry leaders and officials.
It comes as an extension of efforts in the Saudi sports sector under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
47th Saudi relief plane for Gazans arrives in Egypt
- The aid will be transported from Egypt’s Al-Arish International Airport into Gaza
- Relief is part of the Kingdom’s historic role in supporting Palestinian people in times of crisis
RIYADH: The 47th Saudi relief plane carrying medical and shelter supplies for the people of Gaza arrived in Egypt on Wednesday evening.
The aid will be transported from Egypt’s Al-Arish International Airport into Gaza.
The plane was operated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center in coordination with the Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The aid is part of the Kingdom’s historic role in supporting Palestinian people in times of crisis, SPA added.
World’s largest coral restoration project unveiled in the Red Sea
- NEOM nursery will by 2025 produce 400,000 corals annually
- Aim to restore reefs globally, says KAUST President Tony Chan
Scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, in collaboration with NEOM, have launched the first nursery of the KAUST Coral Restoration Initiative.
“KCRI is the largest coral restoration project in the world and represents a significant step towards restoring reefs globally with a primary nursery officially in operation and a second facility in development, both in the Red Sea,” according to a statement released on Thursday.
The nursery, built on the coast of NEOM in northwest Saudi Arabia, is set to transform coral restoration efforts with a production capacity of 40,000 corals annually.
Functioning as a pioneering pilot facility, researchers will leverage the project as the blueprint for large-scale coral restoration initiatives, including the world’s largest and most advanced land-based coral nursery.
Located at the same site, this advanced coral nursery will boast a 10-fold larger capacity to nurture 400,000 corals annually. The project is expected to be completed by December 2025.
Home to 25 percent of known marine species despite covering less than 1 percent of the sea floor, coral reefs are the bedrock of numerous marine ecosystems. Experts estimate up to 90 percent of global coral reefs will experience severe heat stress by 2050.
Prof. Tony Chan, president of KAUST, said: “Recent events provide a stark reminder of the global crisis that coral reefs face. Our ambition is, therefore, to pioneer a pathway to upscale from the current labor-intensive restoration efforts to industrial-scale processes required to reverse the current rate of coral reef degradation.”
The initiative aligns with the Saudi Vision 2030 and its efforts to bolster marine conservation, leveraging KAUST’s research into marine ecosystems and serving as a platform to test innovative restoration methods.
Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM, said: “Through our long-standing partnership with the KAUST, we will also highlight the role of coral reefs, among the most important marine environmental systems, and the value of their preservation for future generations.”
EU relaxes visa rules for Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain
- Saudi, Omani, Bahraini nationals now eligible for multiple-entry, 5-year visas
- ‘An important step for promoting people-to-people contacts,’ says envoy
RIYADH: Travel to Europe will become simpler and easier for Saudi, Omani, and Bahraini nationals following a European Commission decision to relax visa rules.
EU Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Christophe Farnaud told reporters in Riyadh on Thursday that the new Schengen visa rules are “an important step in promoting people-to-people contacts, and facilitating exchanges between the EU and the GCC citizens.”
Under the new rules, a multiple-entry visa will normally be issued for five years to successful applicants, including those applying for the first time.
“The process is the same, but the length of the visa is longer, which allows them to travel to 29 European countries using the same visa valid for five years and multiple entry,” Farnaud said.
He said that it was important to view the visa change against “the backdrop of the strategic relationship between this region and Europe.”
The Schengen area consists of 29 European countries, of which 25 are EU states: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Member states will implement the decision once they have received notifications, Farnaud said.
“As we know, the notification was made on Wednesday, so from now on, the member states can issue these visas, unless there is some technical reason for a country to take a few days,” he said.
“I am very happy to have been able to work on that, and I must say that I received a lot of very positive responses from citizens, from Saudi Arabia, especially. I think it’s really good news,” Farnaud said.
The envoy said that Europe is also working on e-visas, “but it will take some time. I cannot tell you how long exactly because it implies decisions by member states on technical aspects. So, it will happen, but It will take some time.”
Japan, Saudi Arabia invite public to design 70th anniversary celebratory logo
- The chosen logo will be used in all events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the two countries
- Anyone is eligible to apply to create a logo that conveys the strong ties between the Kingdom and Japan
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called for applications to design a logo to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Saudi Arabia in 2025.
The chosen logo will be used in all events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the two countries.
Anyone is eligible to apply to create a logo that conveys the strong ties between the Kingdom and Japan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Japanese embassy in Saudi Arabia, the Japanese consulate-general in Jeddah and the Saudi government will announce the best logo design on their websites and social media accounts.
The deadline for applications is June 10. Applications must be submitted as an email to [email protected].
Each logo design must be no larger than 3 MB in electronic format, with a resolution of 300 dpi or higher, in a file format — JPEG or PDF — that will fit an A4 size when printed.
An explanation of the purpose of the proposed logo mark is required with each submission.
A similar application was announced in 2021, when the UAE and Japan commemorated the 50th anniversary of establishing their diplomatic relationship.
More information on the applications can be found here: The 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2025 call for designs of the commemorative logo.
