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King Salman’s visit to add new dimension to Saudi-Malaysia ties

February 26, 2017

Riyadh, Feb 26: The historic visit today of King Salman to Malaysia will provide a new dimension to the ties between the Kingdom and Malaysia.king salman

The king’s Asia tour is expected to include Indonesia, Japan, China, Brunei, Jordan and the Maldives.

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Malaysia was “honored” that King Salman had chosen Malaysia for his first visit to an Islamic country in the region as well as the first to Southeast Asia since ascending the throne in 2015.

He said King Salman’s visit reaffirms a partnership built on mutual trust and respect through the years. He said that the king’s visit to Kuala Lumpur could provide an example for the Muslim world.

Najib commended both countries’ “strong mutual commitment to fight extremism founded on their strong belief within the framework of the tolerant, moderate and peaceful nature of Islam.”

Najib said a number of new agreements would be signed during the visit. One involves Saudi Aramco and Malaysia’s Petronas.

King Salman’s visit will focus on “strengthening bilateral relations with Malaysia at all levels,” said Saudi Ambassador to Malaysia Fahad Abdullah Al-Rashid.

He said the close diplomatic ties, established in the early 1960s, were built on a foundation of religious unity and must be nurtured not only for the benefit of the two countries but also for the unity of the Muslim world as a whole.

Ibrahim Al-Qayid, a founding member of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), said the visit will herald a new era of bilateral relations. “Malaysia has become a tourism and higher education destination for many Saudis. In fact, Saudi-Malaysian relations have deep historical roots, and the religious, cultural, economic and other aspects of the bilateral relationship have expanded of late.”

Al-Qayid described the ties as long-standing and natural “besides being complementary in nature.”

On the commercial front, the two countries have reported growth. The Kingdom is the 19th biggest commercial trade partner with Malaysia and the 16th biggest importer.

“We are happy that the trade volume between the two countries has improved significantly within a short span of time,” said Tan Rastam Balala, a Malaysian banker working in Riyadh.

“The historic visit will open several channels of cooperation,” Balala added.

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Agencies
July 31,2020

Makkah, Jul 31: Organising this year's scaled-down hajj required "double efforts" by Saudi authorities amid the coronavirus pandemic, King Salman said Friday after being discharged from hospital following gall bladder surgery.

Only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom are participating in this year's pilgrimage, compared with 2019's gathering of some 2.5 million from around the world.

"Holding the ritual in the shadow of this pandemic... required reducing the numbers of pilgrims, but it obliged various official agencies to put in double efforts," 84-year-old King Salman said in a speech read out on state television by acting media minister Majid Al-Qasabi.

"The hajj this year was restricted to a very limited number of people from multiple nationalities, ensuring the ritual was completed despite the difficult circumstances," he said.

The speech came on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, a day after the king left hospital following a 10-day stay for surgery to remove his gall bladder.

The hajj, which began on Wednesday, is one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime.

Authorities implemented the "highest health precautions" during the rituals, the king said.

Pilgrims, who were all tested for the virus, are required to wear masks and observe social distancing.

For Friday's "stoning of the devil", the last major ritual of the hajj, Saudi authorities offered the pilgrims pebbles that were sanitised to protect against the pandemic.

In a sign that its strict measures were working, the health ministry reported no coronavirus cases in the holy sites on Wednesday or Thursday.

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News Network
May 5,2020

Abu Dhabi, May 5: The overall real GDP (gross domestic product) of the United Arab Emirates is estimated to have grown by 1.7 percent in 2019, the country’s central bank said in a statement on Monday carried by WAM.

"The UAE hydrocarbon sector is estimated to have exhibited a growth of 3.4 percent in 2019. However, non-oil activities advanced at a softer pace growing by 1.0 percent. As a result, overall real GDP is estimated by FCSA (Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority) to have grown by 1.7 percent in 2019," said the financial regulator in its Annual Report 2019.

"The spread of COVID-19 is expected to impact trade and supply chain movements, coupled with travel restrictions which paves way for high volatility in capital markets and commodity prices. While the outbreak is expected to negatively affect the global and domestic economies, it is still early to gauge the scale of the economic fallout," the report added.

The report noted that the higher hydrocarbon output, as well as growth in non-hydrocarbon economic activity, supported the pace of the country's overall economic growth in 2019.

"Meanwhile, the fading effect of VAT, the appreciating Dirham, lower energy prices and decline in rents pushed inflation in negative territory. However, the employment rate registered a steady rebound. Looking ahead, the economic outlook for 2020 remains uncertain owing to the COVID-19 outbreak," the report elaborated.

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News Network
July 5,2020

Riyadh, Jul 5: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has approved the extension of the validity of the expired iqama (residency permit) and exit and reentry visas of expatriates who are outside the Kingdom for a period of three months without any fee.

The iqama of expatriates inside the Kingdom as well as the visa of visitors who are in the Kingdom of which the validity expires during the period of suspension of entry and exit from the Kingdom will also be extended for a period of three months without any charge.

The validity of final exit visas as well as exit and reentry visas issued for expatriates, who are in the Kingdom, but were not used during the lockdown period will be extended for a period of three months without any fee, the Saudi Press Agency reported quoting an official source at the Ministry of Interior.

The ministry source said that these measures were taken as part of the continuous efforts made by the government of King Salman to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on individuals as well as on private sector establishments and investors, economic activities in the Kingdom, following the adoption of the preventive measures to stem the spread of the pandemic.

The beneficiaries of the King’s order include all expatriates who are outside the Kingdom on exit and reentry visas, which expired during the lockdown period and after lifting of the lockdown.

These expatriates are not in a position to return to the Kingdom due to the enforcement of suspension of international flight service and temporary ban on entry and exit from the Kingdom.

The beneficiaries also include those expatriates who are still in the Kingdom after issuance of final exit visas or exit and reentry visas but could not travel because of the suspension of entry and exit from the Kingdom.

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