RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Saturday presented Donald Trump with the Kingdom’s top civilian honor, as the US president began a trip to Riyadh aimed at strengthening security and economic ties.
The king placed the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud around Trump’s neck at a ceremony at the Royal Court in Riyadh.
The host of the event declared that Trump was being honored for “his quest to enhance security and stability in the region and around the world.”
The honor has also been bestowed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister Theresa May and Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama.
Trump was joined by first lady Melania Trump and several senior White House aides who were interspersed with Saudi officials throughout a grand ballroom.
Trump landed in Saudi Arabia earlier Saturday for a historic meeting tipped to “turn the page” on US-Arab affairs after a strained relationship under the previous American administration.
The president touched down in Riyadh and was welcomed by King Salman and senior Saudi officials.
Stepping off Air Force One with his wife, Melania, Trump and his entourage received a red-carpet welcome.
After a royal banquet, Trump and the king were to have private talks and participate in a signing ceremony for a number of US-Saudi agreements, including a deal worth a reported $100 billion for Saudi Arabia to buy American arms.
National oil giant Saudi Aramco is expected to sign $50 billion of deals with US companies on Saturday, part of a drive to diversify the Kingdom’s economy beyond oil exports, Aramco’s chief executive Amin Nasser said.
Trump is to deliver a speech on Sunday aimed at rallying Muslims in the fight against terrorism. His first official foreign trip since taking office will coincide with three key summits on Saturday and Sunday, as well as several business activities, cultural, intellectual and sports celebrations.
The Saudi-US Summit, on Saturday, features a series of bilateral meetings between King Salman and Trump, and “focus on re-affirming the long-standing friendship, and strengthening the close political, economic, security and cultural bonds between the two nations.”
It will be followed Sunday by the GCC-US Summit, Arab Islamic American Summit, and the inauguration of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology.
— With AP
King Salman presents Trump with Saudi Arabia’s top civilian honor
King Salman presents Trump with Saudi Arabia’s top civilian honor
Saudi Post issues commemorative stamps for Riyadh Air
- Issue highlights important moment, preserves notable chapter
- SPL keen to document key milestones on Kingdom’s journey
JEDDAH: The Saudi Post (SPL), in collaboration with Riyadh Air, has issued commemorative stamps to mark the launch of the new national carrier’s inaugural flights in October, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The SR3 stamps mark Riyadh Air’s preparatory operational phase and commemorate the beginning of operations for the Kingdom’s carrier, which aims to serve more than 100 destinations worldwide.
Fahd Al-Abdulaziz, SPL’s general manager of corporate communications, said the organization was proud to issue the commemorative stamps and noted that it reflected SPL’s role in documenting key national milestones.
He added that the launch of Riyadh Air flights represented a strategic milestone in the aviation sector, strengthening the Kingdom’s global connectivity and supporting the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
SPL issued a commemorative stamp earlier this month marking the inclusion of the Al-Faw Archaeological Area on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, making it the Kingdom’s eighth location to receive the prestigious designation.
The Saudi Post, in collaboration with the General Entertainment Authority, issued a series of commemorative stamps in September to mark celebrations of the Kingdom’s 95th Saudi National Day under the slogan “Our Pride is in Our Nature.”
SPL issues commemorative stamps to coincide with major national events and significant international occasions.
Each stamp highlights an important moment or preserves a notable chapter in Saudi history, making them sought after by stamp collectors worldwide and historians keen to document the Kingdom’s journey.
