CANBERRA, Australia: Australia is close to resettling the 12,000 refugees from the war in Syria and Iraq it promised to urgently take over a year ago.
Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton said Wednesday all 12,000 have been issued visas and over 10,000 have already been brought from Mideast refugee camps to Australia. The remainder will be resettled in the coming months.
The refugees are in addition to the 13,750 refugees Australia accepts each year.
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced in September 2015 that the 12,000 refugees would be resettled as quickly as possible. Abbott was replaced by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull less than a week later.
Peter Shergold, coordinator-general for refugee resettlement in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, said careful screening would hold up the resettlement process.
Australia close to resettling 12,000 Syrian refugees
Australia close to resettling 12,000 Syrian refugees
Pakistan minister in Saudi Arabia to attend World Defense Show exhibition
- Defense Minister Khawaja Asif to attend five-day event featuring global companies specializing in defense, security sectors
- Pakistan, Saudi Arabia signed a strategic defense pact last year formalizing decades of decades of military cooperation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif arrived in Riyadh this week to attend the five-day Saudi Defense Show exhibition, state media reported, where more than 700 exhibitors are expected to showcase their products.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) is organizing the event from Feb. 8-12 in Riyadh, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The event brings together official delegations, government entities and leading international companies specializing in the defense and security sectors.
GAMI Governor Ahmad Al-Ohali has said the event will feature a comprehensive program, including live air and land demonstrations, static displays and newly developed zones, enhancing opportunities for partnership and integration between Saudi government entities and major national and global defense companies.
“Defense Minister of Pakistan, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, has arrived in Riyadh on the official invitation of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to attend the World Defense Show,” the state-run Pakistan Television News (PTV) said on Saturday.
It said Asif was received by senior Saudi officials and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Farooq, after arriving in Riyadh.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have strengthened their economic and defense ties in recent years as regional tensions and militant violence escalate.
The two nations signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement on Sept. 17, 2025, pledging that aggression against one country would be treated as an attack on both, enhancing joint deterrence and formalizing decades of military and security cooperation.
The pact was signed during Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s state visit to Riyadh, where he met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
A month later, the two countries complemented their defense pact with an economic cooperation framework to boost trade and investment ties.
Pakistan regards Saudi Arabia as a critical ally, with the Kingdom hosting over 2.5 million Pakistani expatriates. This makes Saudi Arabia the largest source of remittances for cash-strapped Pakistan worldwide.
