September 2019
Today on World Tourism Day, Saudi Arabia is celebrating a historic mile stone - opening the kingdom to international tourism for the first time. Starting immediately, visitors will be able to obtain one year, multiple entry visa allowing them to spend up to 90 days in the country.
After a dominating tournament showing, The Greens soccer team finished second yesterday in the Global Goals World Cup (GGWCup) tournament in New York City, on the side-line of the United Nations General Assembly. The Greens is an initiative overseen by the Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA).
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced the completion of its pledge of $500 million to the 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan during the United Nations Donors' Conference in Yemen.
The announcement was made by His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf, during his participation in the humanitarian response conference in Yemen, which is held on the sidelines of the seventy-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said that Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired two ballistic missiles from a civilian platform from within the capital Sana'a. The missiles fell afterwards in Amran Governorate and Saada Governorate, inside Yemeni territory.
The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen's naval arm detected on Thursday morning, September 19, 2019, an attempt from the Iran backed Houthi terrorists to launch a remote-controlled, and booby-trapped boat in the south of the Red Sea off the coast of Hodiedah.
Colonel Al-Malki announced the timely destruction of the boat, which represents a threat to regional and international security, as well as to maritime routes and global trade.
On Monday September 16, 2019, His Excellency the President of the Board of Grievances Dr. Khalid Al-Yousef visited Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, in response to an invitation from the Office of Foreign Graduate Legal Studies.
Dr. Al-Yousef delivered a lecture on the administrative judiciary in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to judges, law professors, and students.
An official at the Saudi Ministry of Defense announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has decided to join the International Maritime Security Construct.
The IMSC aims to protect commercial vessels by ensuring the right of the freedom of navigation, provide safety for international trade, and protect the interests of allied countries.
The IMSC's area of operation covers the Straits of Hormuz and Bab Al Mandab, as well as the Sea of Oman and the Arabian Gulf.
The Saudi Ministry of Defense displayed today in a press conference the Iranian drones and cruise missiles that were used in terrorist attacks against Aramco oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais.
The attacks were unquestionably sponsored by Iran, but investigations are still underway to pinpoint the exact launch location, according to spokesman Colonel Turki Al Maliki.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet's session at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Tuesday afternoon.
At the outset of the session, the King expressed his appreciation to heads of states, state officials, regional and international organizations, and all those who condemned the attacks on two Aramco plants in Abqaiq and Khurais.
In an unprecedented act of aggression and sabotage, petroleum facilities in the Kingdom that are vital for global energy supplies were subjected to an attack on Saturday, September 14, 2019, which resulted in the suspension of approximately 50% of Saudi Aramco's production, as noted by the Ministry of Energy's statement.
Initial investigations have indicated that the weapons used in the attack were Iranian weapons. Investigations are still ongoing to determine the source of the attack.
As part of Vision 2030's commitment to enable women and remove roadblocks for female employment, The Ministry of Civil Service announced on Wednesday that it has established an agency within the ministry aimed at promoting women's economic empowerment by decreasing female unemployment rates in the public sector, and promoting their advancement into leadership positions.
According to figures from a special report issued by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority for the Summer of 2019, foreign direct investment inflows increased by 24% in Q1 2019. In the first half of the year, new foreign investor licenses rose by 85% and economic reforms implementation by the National Competitiveness Centre hit 55%.
The Ministry of Finance welcomed the 2019 Article IV Consultation report for Saudi Arabia. The report commended the Kingdom's progress made in implementing its reforms aimed at diversifying the economy, inclusive growth and job creation.
It confirmed that the Kingdom is continuing to implement reforms aimed at strengthening the legal framework and improving the business climate.
The report pointed out that the structural reforms undertaken by the Government include: financial markets, foreign investment, legal framework, ease of doing business and SMEs.
The governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have welcomed the response by the Legitimate Government of Yemen and the Southern Transitional Council, on the Kingdom's call for dialogue, saying it is "a major and positive step" towards ending the recent crisis in the governorates of Aden, Abyan and Shabwa.
The two countries said it is important to continue working under "this positive environment and in a spirit of brotherhood" to renounce division.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia follows up the latest developments and events in Aden and Yemen's southern governorates, as it expresses its complete rejection of the recent escalation and the course of events their consequences, and the failure to respond to its previous call to cease the escalation and move towards dialogue.
His Excellency Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, greeted the Chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission Ajit Pai, and several American officials within the sector of communications and information technology. The delegations discussed prospects of digital cooperation between the two countries, and ways to spur technological investments in Saudi.
The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen was briefed on a report of the group of eminent international and regional experts in Yemen which was issued on 3rd, September, 2019, where Colonel Turki Al-Malki, Spokesman of the coalition, stated that the fallacies and accusations against the coalition in this report are only a continuation of the fallacies and accusations contained in the previous report in 2018.
Acting Secretary General of The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), Air Vice Marshal Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Mughaidi, met with the Director of Counter terrorism at the US National Security Council Mr. Joe Francisco, at IMCTC HQ in Riyadh. The delegation's visit comes as IMCTC focuses on strengthening strategic partnerships between member states, offering support to countries and international organizations to raise their capabilities, and encouraging the exchange of international best practices, information and expertise aimed at combating terrorism and violent extremism.
According to a statement issued by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), the center “is following with keen interest the unfortunate recent events in the governorates of Aden and Abyan during which many people have been injured.”
A statement by the Official Spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, Colonel Turki Al-Malki:
The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen’s strike last night in Dhamar was conducted against a Military compound which was a legitimate military target. Air Defense equipment was present and secondary explosions were observed during the strike, confirming the presence of the explosives used to target civilians with UAVs.
The Houthi militia first claimed this compound was a Community College, before claiming it was a secret prison.