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Saudi Arabia, Turkey have identical views on regional conflicts

February 15, 2017

Riyadh, Feb 15: Ties between the Kingdom and Turkey are set to scale new heights as their interests align on key regional issues following talks between King Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan here Tuesday.

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The summit at Al-Yamamah Palace also focused on bilateral subjects covering political, security and commercial fields.

The talks ahead of the UN-sponsored Syria peace dialogue, have added significance in terms of efforts that have been directed to reach a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

“King Salman and Erdogan expressed satisfaction over the outcome of the first Turkish-Saudi Coordination Council meeting,” Turkish Ambassador Yunus Demirer told Arab News.

Demirer said the two leaders discussed key regional issues like Syria, Yemen, Libya and Iran besides bilateral security cooperation and terrorism.

President Erdogan had separate meetings with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif on Monday.

The Turkish president also held talks with Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday in which they shared concerns and interests regarding developments in the region.

Demirer said the two leaders expressed “their desire to move forward” … and discussed security, combating terrorism, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Demirer added that the two leaders exchanged views on the most pressing issues on the regional and international agenda.

“There were no differences in our views,” said the envoy adding that the meeting with the crown prince focused “on combating terrorism and cooperation on security issues.”

He said it was a very successful visit to move forward after the Turkish-Saudi Coordination Council meeting. “The summit meeting was in way approval of the results of the joint council meeting by both heads of state,” he noted.

Last week the first meeting of the council, co-chaired by Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, took place in Ankara.

Syria was a focus point for the president during his meetings with top Saudi officials. On Monday in Manama, Erdogan called for a “safe zone” in northern Syria. The positions of Saudi Arabia and Turkey are “absolutely identical” on Syria, Al-Jubeir said last week in Ankara, after the joint council meeting.

On the sidelines of the visit, a few ministerial bilateral meetings were held. Al-Jubeir met here Monday night with Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu, who is traveling with the Turkish president.

During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations and work of the first session of the Saudi-Turkish Coordination. The meeting was attended by Saudi ambassador to Turkey Waleed Al-Khuraiji.

Erdogan wrapped up his two-day visit to the Kingdom on Tuesday evening and left for Qatar. Qatar hosts a Turkish military base.

Representatives of the two countries signed an agreement in the field of housing issues.

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Wednesday, 15 Feb 2017

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News Network
March 9,2020

Riyadh, Mar 9: Schools and universities will be closed in Saudi Arabia from Monday to control the spread of coronavirus.

The Saudi Ministry of Education said the “preventive and precautionary” measures were recommended by the health authorities and are designed to protect students and staff.

The decision covers all educational institutions, including public and private schools, and technical and vocational training institutions.

“The Minister of Education directed that virtual schools and distance education be activated while the schools are closed to ensure that the educational process continues in an effective and quality manner,” the ministry said.

The Kingdom's Education Minister, Hamad bin Mohammed Al-Asheikh, confirmed that the decision was a precautionary step and said that they are conducting daily and weekly evaluations before returning to school.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Health, Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, confirmed that there have been no coronavirus cases in any educational facility in the Kingdom.

“Thank God, the situation is reassuring, and there has been no case in any educational facility. However, the increasing cases in countries have made us keen to enhance the safety of our sons and daughters. So we coordinated with the Ministry of Education to close the schools temporarily,” he said in a tweet on Sunday.

The education ministry has set up supervision offices to help coordinate the distance learning, and respond to parents’ inquiries.

A new committee set up by the ministry will also ensure the virtual schools are functioning through the distance learning methods provided by the ministry.

These include the virtual school platform (Vschool.sa) and mwterials available from the Apple and Android stores.

It will also provide lessons through the “Ain” TV channeland as well as on YouTube via this link: www.youtube.com/dorosien.

The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque also said on Sunday that it will suspend the visitation programs in its external facilities as part of recommended precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and ensure the safety of visitors.

The facilities include the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Covering of the Holy Kaaba, the Gallery of the Two Holy Mosques, and the Library of the Holy Mosque of Makkah.

“The presidency has taken a series of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus, by intensifying sterilization work that is taking place around the clock, and has been keen on coordination and joint cooperation with all relevant government sectors,” it said in a statement issued on SPA.

It added that these preventive efforts come within the procedures that are being implemented by the Saudi government seeking to combat the spread of the new virus, to protect the people of the Two Holy Mosques in particular, and citizens and residents in the Kingdom in general.

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Agencies
August 4,2020

Beirut, Aug 4: A massive explosion has shaken the Lebanese capital of Beirut, with a very high number of casualties expected.

A warehouse at the Beirut Port caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a huge explosion, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Several smaller explosions were heard before the bigger one occurred.

Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s General Security, said that “highly explosive materials” confiscated earlier had been stored at the site.

Footage shared on social media captured the moment of the bigger explosion, with a colossal shock wave seen traveling fast across several hundreds of meters and shrouding the area in thick smoke.

The blast left enormous material damage to the surrounding buildings and structures. But it was not immediately known how big an area was affected.

There was also no immediate casualty count. Graphic amateur video from the scene showed bodies strewn on the ground, with their clothes blown off.

The NNA said rescue operations were underway. Ambulances were seen heading toward the scene in central Beirut.

Lebanese LBC television channel quoted Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hasan as saying that the blast had caused a “very high number of injuries” and “extensive damage.”

Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud said an unspecified number of firefighters dispatched to extinguish the initial fire had been killed in the explosion.

“As they were putting out the fire, the explosion took place and we’ve [lost them],” he said, breaking down on live TV.

The explosion comes at a time when the Arab country is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades, and amid rising tensions with Israel.

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Agencies
February 16,2020

Al-Jawf, Feb 16: At least 31 people were killed and 12 others were injured here in the al-Maslub district in airstrikes by the Saudi-UAE-led military coalition on Saturday.

"Preliminary field reports indicate that as many as 31 civilians were killed and 12 others injured in strikes that hit al-Hayjah area of the al-Maslub district in al-Jawf governorate," said a statement from the office of the UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen.

According to Al Jazeera, the airstrike was conducted hours after the Yemeni Houthis said that they downed a Saudi fighter jet in the same region.

Commenting on the air raids, Lise Grande, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said: "We share our deep condolences with the families of those killed and we pray for the speedy recovery of everyone who has been injured in these terrible strikes."

"So many people are being killed in Yemen - it's a tragedy and it's unjustified. Under international humanitarian law, parties that resort to force is obligated to protect civilians," Grande was quoted as saying.

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