RIYADH: Various sectors on Monday said that Saudi Arabia took center stage as Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China.
Local businessmen were of the opinion that the presence of the Kingdom at the G20 summit showed it has become an important country in the world.
“This is because the Kingdom shared the limelight with the world’s leading countries during the summit,” said Ibrahim Al-Alim, Estefaa Agricultural Group president.
He noted that the deputy crown prince also held wide-ranging talks with various leaders.
He held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US Secretary of State John Kerry, British Prime Minister Theresa May, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday. On Monday, Prince Mohammed bin Salman held separate talks with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Brazilian President Michel Temer, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
He said that while the Kingdom was highly regarded in the G20 summit, Prince Mohammed also sought cooperation from the East and the West in various sectors.
Al-Alim added that the deputy crown prince, who is also the defense minister, got the message across that the Kingdom and the rest of the world needed each other to meet the challenges of contemporary times.
“The attendance of Prince Mohammed at the G20 summit is significant, to say the least, as it opens up various opportunities for the Kingdom,” he added.
He noted that after meeting the world leaders, the deputy crown prince expressed hope that the G20 summit would help chart a course for the world economy and boost global growth.
Abdullah Al-Harbi, Eye of Riyadh chief executive officer, said that Prince Mohammed's attendance at the summit showed the openness of the Kingdom for collaboration in various fields.
“This openness led to meaningful parleys regarding present and future opportunities to expand cooperation between the Kingdom and China, as well as the rest of the world,” he said.
He added that the reality in the local market demanded that Saudi Arabia establish cooperation with various countries on economic, financial, scientific, technological, oil, and water sectors.
“These drive the wheel of the economy, attracting, in the process, investments from other countries, and increase the income of citizens and residents of the Kingdom,” he said.
He added that “we at the Eye of Riyadh are ready to support any agreement with other countries that ramps up economic reforms in the Kingdom and deepens ties with other countries.”
Nasser Abdullah Al-Saeed, managing director of Import House, said that the Kingdom was able to project to the world its Vision 2030 during the summit. “Various countries lauded the plan and expressed support for it. Lesser dependence on oil underlies the plan, and this is good as far as the environment is concerned,” he said.
He added that he “looked forward to the future when the succeeding generations in the Kingdom could enjoy an absolutely pollution-free environment.”
“The future belongs to them and we should secure the environment for them,” he said.
KSA pitches Vision 2030 at summit
KSA pitches Vision 2030 at summit
Saudi Cabinet condemns ‘blatant’ Iranian aggression; affirms Kingdom’s right to respond to threats
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has warned it reserves the “full right” to respond to Iranian aggression following a series of “blatant and cowardly” strikes targeting the capital and the Eastern Province.
The warning came during a late-night Cabinet session on Tuesday, chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman via videoconference, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
During the session, the Cabinet “reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s full solidarity with the brotherly countries whose territories were subjected to blatant Iranian aggression”, signaling a united front against regional threats.
The session followed a dramatic escalation of hostilities, including a direct drone attack on the US Embassy in Riyadh.
Major General Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, confirmed that while air defenses intercepted multiple threats, the embassy compound sustained a “limited fire and minor material damage.”
General Al-Malki further announced that Saudi forces successfully intercepted and destroyed eight additional drones targeting the cities of Riyadh and Al-Kharj early Tuesday morning.
In a sharp rebuke of the embassy strike, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) cited a flagrant violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
“The repetition of this flagrant Iranian behavior... will push the region toward further escalation,” the Ministry stated, underscoring that these provocations occurred despite Riyadh’s explicit policy of not allowing its airspace or territory to be used as a launchpad for strikes against Iran.
Global condemnation and solidarity
The Cabinet expressed deep appreciation for the wave of international support as world leaders condemned Tehran’s “indiscriminate” behavior.
In a joint show of force, the US and GCC member states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE) along with Jordan stood united, labeling the strikes a “dangerous escalation” and reaffirming a collective right to self-defense.
Leaders from the United Kingdom, France, and India. — including Prime Minister Narendra Modi — voiced strong solidarity with the Kingdom. The UK government confirmed its forces are engaged in “defensive actions” to maintain regional stability.
Amid the heightened military tension, the Cabinet reviewed the Kingdom’s hospitality efforts for GCC citizens currently stranded at Saudi airports due to regional airspace closures. The crown prince reaffirmed that the state would mobilize all capabilities to support brotherly nations in any measures they take to restore regional peace and stability.
