LONDON: The inaugural meeting of the Saudi Arabia-UK Strategic Aid Dialogue was recently held in London, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
The Adviser at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, headed the Saudi delegation, which included representatives from the ministries of foreign affairs and finance, and the Saudi Fund for Development.
Saudi Ambassador to the UK Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz also attended the meeting along with SFD CEO Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Marshad.
UK Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Andrew Mitchell, and Director General of the Humanitarian and Development at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Nick Dyer were among representatives of the UK.
Al-Rabeeah expressed KSrelief’s hopes for humanitarian cooperation with the UK, adding that “Saudi Arabia is a significant donor worldwide.”
He said Saudi Arabia provided $65 billion for 2,300 humanitarian projects in 167 countries between 2000 and 2023.
Development and humanitarian support to countries in need amounted to $85.5 billion, Al-Rabeeah said.
He said that the Kingdom believes in supporting education projects for girls, as well as projects aimed at providing women with professional skills to enable them to support their families and improve their livelihoods.
Al-Marshad voiced his appreciation for the outstanding partnership with the UK in the development field, which has yielded essential initiatives such as Ethiopia’s water and sanitation program project, and the clean energy for schools project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Such efforts affirm the commitment of both sides to providing development assistance to countries in need, added the CEO.
Al-Marshad said he looks forward to continuing this partnership to support the development process in developing countries and positively impact the lives of beneficiaries.
The session discussed the progress made within the framework of the British-Saudi partnership in the field of development and humanitarian assistance concerning cooperation agreements and the launch of joint humanitarian development projects.
It also highlighted the promotion of strategic dialogue and boosting cooperation on humanitarian issues and development policies of mutual interest.
Saudi Arabia, UK hold inaugural session of strategic aid dialogue in London
https://arab.news/nznzm
Saudi Arabia, UK hold inaugural session of strategic aid dialogue in London
- KSrelief supervisor general says center is seeking greater cooperation with UK on humanitarian projects
- Saudi Arabia provided $65bn for 2,300 humanitarian projects in 167 countries between 2000 and 2023
Saudi defense chief discusses regional situation with Turkish, Romanian, South Korean counterparts
RIYADH: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman had separate phone conversations with his Turkish, Romanian and South Korean counterparts about the escalating regional crisis.
In his call with Yasar Guler, Turkey’s Minister of National Defense, Prince Khalid said “we reaffirmed our commitment to all measures aimed at protecting our security.”
Prince Khalid wrote: “We condemned the Iranian attacks against our countries, discussed the impact of the regional escalation on security and stability.”
In a separate call, Prince Khalid spoke with his Romanian counterpart Radu Miruta, Minister of National Defense, who condemned the Iranian attacks targeting the Kingdom.
“We also discussed regional developments and the threat that the escalation poses to security and stability in the region and the world,” Prince Khalid wrote on social media about his meeting with Miruta.
He also spoke with Ahn Gyu-back, South Korean minister of national defense. The ministers condemned Iran’s aggression against the Kingdom and also reviewed regional developments.
The US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28 and Tehran has attacked Gulf nations as well as Israeli and US assets in the region in an escalation that threatens security and economic stability.
Iran has said it is blockading energy shipments across the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the transfer of oil and gas, prompting a surge in the price of the commodities.
