RIYADH: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Riyadh on Saturday to attend a landmark meeting between officials from Saudi Arabia and Iraq aimed at improving relations between the two countries and countering Iran’s growing regional influence, Reuters reported.
Tillerson landed at King Salman Air Base and was received by the Saudi Foreign Ministry’s Undersecretary for Protocol Affairs Azzam Al Qain.
The visit comes a little more than a week after US President Donald Trump unveiled a strategy to contain Iran and compel Tehran to agree to close what he described as flaws in the multinational 2015 deal designed to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons.
Tillerson’s only official meeting on Saturday was a working dinner with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir. He was stopping in Saudi Arabia on the first leg of a six-day trip that will also take him to Qatar, Pakistan, India and Switzerland.
His talks in Saudi Arabia and Qatar are expected to be dominated by Iran’s growing regional influence.
This week, Iranians aided Iraqi security forces in seizing the oil-rich area of the northern city of Kirkuk in an effort to abort the independence bid made by the Kurdish minority.
On Sunday, Tillerson is due to attend the inaugural session of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council, a body whose creation was promoted by the Trump administration to bolster relations between Riyadh and Baghdad.
During his visit, Tillerson is also expected to renew a push to end the Gulf rift between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, although he has conceded he is not optimistic.
Saudi Arabia and its allies have accused Qatar of supporting hard-line Islamist groups and strengthening ties with Iran at the region’s expense. Doha denies the allegations.
Tillerson arrives in Riyadh ahead of Saudi-Iraqi talks
Tillerson arrives in Riyadh ahead of Saudi-Iraqi talks
Riyadh forum to discuss AI impact on education, jobs
- The exhibition will give young people direct access to educational, training, career, and technological opportunities while enabling them to learn from leading local and international experiences to shape their future careers
RIYADH: Experts from more than 50 international and local organizations in education, employment, and artificial intelligence will gather in Riyadh from Jan. 28-29 for the International Conference on Data and AI Capacity Building to explore the future of education during rapid AI advances.
Discussions will examine how AI is transforming work, its implications for current and future generations, and the new opportunities it creates, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Organized by the Saudi Data and AI Authority, the conference aims to redefine work and human capacity building to meet future labor market demands.
Participants will present practical solutions for empowering young people with AI skills, integrating AI into education, and aligning learning outcomes with the most in-demand future skills locally and globally.
By addressing AI’s evolving impact on the job market, the conference offers academics, AI and data professionals, policymakers, and students a platform to exchange insights and explore the latest innovations for societal benefit and national development.
An accompanying exhibition will highlight cutting-edge educational and digital transformation solutions from public and private sector organizations.
The exhibition will give young people direct access to educational, training, career, and technological opportunities while enabling them to learn from leading local and international experiences to shape their future careers.
