Saudi Arabia, China to boost cooperation in fighting terror

November 7, 2016

Riyadh, Nov 7: Saudi Arabia and China agreed to step up cooperation on various key issues including security and counter-terrorism during talks held in Riyadh Sunday.

Saudi

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, received a delegation led by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special envoy Meng Jianzhu. The two sides also reached agreement to deepen the cordial ties between Saudi Arabia and China.

The talks in Riyadh follow the signing of 15 preliminary agreements between Saudi Arabia and China in August — touching on a wide range of fields from energy to housing — during the visit of the deputy crown prince.

Meng and his delegation arrived here Saturday night.

The visit fits in with a broad reforms drive to reduce the Kingdom’s reliance on oil exports and showcases Saudi Arabia as a dynamic nation with promising opportunities for global investors.

A Chinese Embassy spokesman told Arab News that the delegation led by Meng Jianzhu, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC, met King Salman at the Al-Yamamah Palace.

The crown prince held a luncheon banquet during which he and Meng discussed issues of mutual interest, especially joint cooperation in counterterrorism. A five-year cooperation plan was also signed in the field of security training.

During talks with King Salman, Meng conveyed the greetings of President Xi Jinping. The King also sent his greetings to the Chinese president.

The crown prince and several ministers attended the meeting, which also reviewed the strategic partnership and future cooperation to boost bilateral ties.

The spokesman said that the delegation also met Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, second deputy premier and defense minister.

Saudi Arabia, China to boost cooperation in fighting terror

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News Network
May 19,2020

Dubai, May 19: In a heart-warming decision to reunite families that have been split by anti-Covid travel restrictions, the UAE has announced that residents with valid visas stranded outside the country can return from June 1.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship said they will begin the process on Monday, June 1, by allowing the return of those residency holders currently stranded outside the country who have relatives in the UAE. Residents who meet this criteria must apply for a Resident Entry Permit on smartservices.ica.gov.ae.

The ministry and the authority said the decision was taken to reunite families that have been affected by the anti-coronavirus measures taken due to the exceptional circumstances.

"The UAE is keen to facilitate the procedures for holders of UAE residency visas who are stuck outside the country and reunite them with their families who were affected by the precautionary measures taken by the country in light of the current exceptional circumstances to combat Covid-19," the federal authorities were quoted by state news agency Wam.

Hundreds of UAE residents are currently stuck abroad and are separated from their families due to the unexpected freeze on air travel imposed by many countries as precautionary measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The #BringBackUAEresidents hashtag was trending on Twitter on Monday as several residents and families requested the government to expedite their return to the UAE.

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News Network
May 19,2020

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates today reported 873 new coronavirus cases, pushing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the country to 25,063.

Three more people have died from the virus, bringing the total death toll to 227, the ministry revealed, adding that a total of 1,214 COVID-19 patients have made full recovery, which takes the overall number of patients recovered to 10,791.

The latest coronavirus patients, all of whom are in a stable condition and receiving the necessary care, were identified after conducting more than 38,000 additional COVID-19 tests among UAE citizens and residents over the past few days, the ministry said.

It expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to all patients, calling on the public to cooperate with health authorities and comply with all precautionary measures, particularly social distancing protocols, to ensure the safety and protection of the public.

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Agencies
July 28,2020

Dubai, Jul 28: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) (ADCB.AD) is letting go hundreds of employees, sources said, the latest in a round of lay-offs by regional banks as pressure mounts to cut costs amid lower oil prices and the coronavirus crisis.

The UAE’s third-biggest lender is laying off 400 employees, two sources familiar with the matter said, after it had committed to not cutting staff because of the crisis.

In a statement, a spokesman said ADCB had pursued efficiency over the last decade by managing out its lowest underachievers after regular reviews, while ensuring talent was deployed in high-growth areas, such as digital banking.

“A certain number of redundancies are therefore expected every year in the normal course of business,” the bank spokesman added.

The sources said the cuts would involve ADCB’s consumer business and several in top management were among those being let go. One source said the bank was looking to close 20 branches.

In March, ADCB had declared, “No employee will be made redundant during 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

UAE banks have been hit by government measures to rein in the spread of the virus, forcing many businesses to shut temporarily.

Last week, Dubai’s largest bank, Emirates NBD, reported a slump of 58% in profits. In June, sources told Reuters the bank started a new round of hundreds of lay-offs.

In May, ADCB reported a fall of 84% in first-quarter net profit as it took impairments of $292 million on debt exposure to troubled hospital operator NMC Health and payments group Finablr.

It was a major lender, with an exposure of about $981 million, to NMC Health, which went into administration this year after months of turmoil following questions over financial reporting.

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