EU and regional countries welcome resumption of Saudi-Iran ties

EU and regional countries welcome resumption of Saudi-Iran ties
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after seven years of tensions. (Xinhua/AP)
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Updated 12 March 2023

EU and regional countries welcome resumption of Saudi-Iran ties

EU and regional countries welcome resumption of Saudi-Iran ties
  • Diplomatic deal will contribute to Mideast peace and stability, says Brussels
  • Tunisia, Egypt voice hopes for new direction in Iran’s regional and global policies

LONDON: The EU on Saturday welcomed an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume diplomatic relations.

“The European Union welcomes the announced agreement on resumption of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and looks forward to its implementation,” said Peter Stano, EU external affairs lead spokesman.

“The EU acknowledges the diplomatic efforts leading to this important step,” he said in a statement. “As both Saudi Arabia and Iran are central for the security of the region, the resumption of their bilateral relations can contribute to the stabilization of the region as a whole.”

Saudi Arabia and Iran on Friday agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies within two months following years of tensions between the two countries in a China-brokered deal.

“Promoting peace and stability and achieving de-escalation of tensions in the broader Middle East are key priorities for the EU,” he also said, adding that the bloc “remains ready to engage with all actors in the region in a gradual and inclusive approach, and in full transparency.”

France also welcomed the agreement and Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said her country supports dialogue and of any initiative that can contribute in a concrete way to de-escalating tensions and strengthening regional security and stability.

Colonna reiterated her call on Iran to renounce its destabilizing actions in the region.

Egypt expressed appreciation for the “important step” taken by Riyadh and Tehran, which will remove tension in regional relations, and affirms the Kingdom’s adherence to the UN principles of respect for states’ sovereignty, non-interference in their internal affairs, and enhancement of regional security and stability.

Spokesman of the Egyptian Presidency Ahmed Fahmy said that his country looks forward to this development having a positive impact on Iran’s regional and international policies, and that it constitutes an opportunity for Iran to adopt a policy that takes into consideration the legitimate concerns of the countries of the region in a way that enhances opportunities for cooperation and consolidation of positive relations.

Tunisia also issued a statement welcoming the deal and commended the role China played in forging the agreement.

The foreign ministry expressed hope that the agreement will contribute to strengthening security and stability in the region, remove all causes of tension, and establish a new phase of cooperation between them.


Sri Lanka to send skilled workers to Saudi Arabia under new scheme

Sri Lanka to send skilled workers to Saudi Arabia under new scheme
Updated 10 sec ago

Sri Lanka to send skilled workers to Saudi Arabia under new scheme

Sri Lanka to send skilled workers to Saudi Arabia under new scheme
  • Skill Verification Program aims to improve professional competence of Saudi labor market
  • Agreement expected to give a boost to Sri Lanka’s manpower exports to Kingdom

COLOMBO: Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka signed on Tuesday a new agreement on the employment of workers, opening up more opportunities in the Kingdom for professionals from the crisis-hit island nation. 

The Skill Verification Program aims to improve the professional competence of employees in the Saudi labor market, easing the recruitment process of skilled workers from Sri Lanka.  

The agreement, signed by Sri Lanka’s Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission and Saudi Arabia’s Takamol, which operates under the Kingdom’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, covers 23 professions, including electricians and auto mechanics. 

“This is good news to all Sri Lankans,” TVEC Director Dr. Lalithadheera K. Arachchige said during the signing ceremony in Colombo. “Their skills can be officially identified by the concerned Saudi authorities to provide them with suitable jobs.” 

The deal is expected to give a boost to Sri Lanka’s manpower exports to the Kingdom.

“Under Vision 2030 of the Kingdom, Saudi Arabia needs a variety of skilled workers who would fit into various projects,” Khalid Hamoud Nasser Al-Dasam, the Saudi ambassador in Colombo, told Arab News on the sidelines of the event. 

“This is going to be a major development in the annals of Saudi-Lanka bilateral relations.” 

Sri Lanka has been seeking foreign employment opportunities for its professionals as it is facing its worst financial crisis since gaining independence in 1948 and is in desperate need of foreign currency. Only on Monday, the International Monetary Fund approved a $3 billion bailout loan for Colombo, but it will take time for the country to recover.

Many professionals from the South Asian country are currently working in Saudi Arabia without recognition of their professional certification, often enrolled in jobs below their skills. But that will change under the skill verification deal, as Saudi employers will recognize certificates issued by Sri Lanka’s TVEC. 

“It will give them due recognition and due salary and due position,” Pakeer Mohideen Amza, Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told Arab News. 

“It’s a long-felt need, and it’s going parallel to the objective of Sri Lanka to shift from quantitative employment to qualitative employment…This really will help to increase our foreign remittances.” 

Around 150,000 Sri Lankan expats are employed in Saudi Arabia, about 70 percent of whom are unskilled. 

Saudi Arabia is the job market with the most potential for Sri Lankans, according to the Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies, which welcomed the latest development. 

“Everyone knows that Sri Lanka is only famous for the unskilled people, not for skilled (workers), but we know that there are very skilled people,” ALFEA Secretary Mohamed Farook Mohamed Arshad told Arab News. 

“The Skill Verification Program is very useful for that…We can market our skilled laborers to Saudi Arabia when this is implemented.” 


Saudi General Entertainment Authority approved 14 projects for Entertainment Business Accelerator

Saudi General Entertainment Authority approved 14 projects for Entertainment Business Accelerator
Updated 15 min 19 sec ago

Saudi General Entertainment Authority approved 14 projects for Entertainment Business Accelerator

Saudi General Entertainment Authority approved 14 projects for Entertainment Business Accelerator

Riyadh: The General Entertainment Authority has approved 14 projects for the first Entertainment Business Accelerator, which aims to provide support for entrepreneurs interested in the sector.

The plan is to provide entrepreneurs with guidance and training, and link them with project management experts and a network of investors.

The approval process began with the first stage in February which saw the registration of 260 projects, of which 60 qualified for the initial interviews. Thereafter 22 projects were nominated for presentation to the jury. The process concluded with the approval of 14 projects.

The training programs consist of weekly workshops, and individual consulting sessions between entrepreneurs and specialized consultants. In addition, the new entrepreneurs will be linked with successful business owners in the sector.

The training program involves guidance and support of participants weekly through their mentors, including helping them to prepare for pitching their ideas to investors.

Mentors are expected to have a hands-on role, to advise the budding entrepreneurs on product development, and link them with appropriate consultants.

Mentors will set weekly goals for projects and business, which will be used to determine performance.


Saudi firm aiming to establish Kingdom as top 3 global gaming country

Saudi firm aiming to establish Kingdom as top 3 global gaming country
Updated 42 min 54 sec ago

Saudi firm aiming to establish Kingdom as top 3 global gaming country

Saudi firm aiming to establish Kingdom as top 3 global gaming country
  • CEO of Savvy Games Group wants to make Saudi Arabia ‘world-class entertainment destination’

Riyadh: A games and esports company is aiming to help establish Saudi Arabia as one of the top three gaming countries in the world.

Brian Ward, the chief executive officer of Savvy Games Group, said his firm’s strategy was designed to contribute toward gross domestic product and create more jobs in the Kingdom.

He told Arab News: “The gaming and esports sector will unlock economic contribution of more than SR50 billion ($13.32 billion) to the Kingdom’s economic prosperity by 2030.

“We are investing in our citizens and gamers to create over 39,000 jobs in development, publishing, infrastructure, and other professions by 2030,” he said.

In September, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled the Savvy Games Group’s strategy, which will see an investment of SR142 billion across four programs.

SR50 billion will be used toward the acquisition and development of a leading game publisher; SR70 billion will be spent on minority stakes in key companies that support Savvy’s game development agenda; SR20 billion will be pumped into mature industry partners capable of adding expertise to Savvy’s portfolio; and the remaining SR2 billion will go toward industry disruptors that will grow early-stage games and esports companies.

Ward noted that one of Savvy’s visions was to establish Saudi Arabia as a “world-class entertainment destination for citizens, residents, and visitors.”

Wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund, one of the key factors of the company’s strategy is to drive growth by investing in the video games industry and esports using long-dated capital.

In turn, this is expected to create more opportunities for participation and strengthening partnerships in the games industry, as well as improving user experience.

“(Savvy Games Group’s) contribution to the development of the gaming and esports sector aims to cultivate elite gaming athletes, in addition to establishing global recognition for the Kingdom as one of the top three countries in esports pro gaming,” Ward added.

Savvy’s strategy comes in three phases. The first aims to drive growth by investing in games and esports through deploying significant capital over long-term horizons.

Stage two will involve creating opportunities through growth and progression across the games community, while the third phase will be based on partnerships in the gaming community and improving user experiences across products and services.

Ward pointed out that one of the missions of Savvy was to foster the gaming community in the Kingdom through multiple stages such as the “development of high-tech infrastructure, including venues for KSA gamers to socialize and compete on both local and global scales.”

He said: “This will help nurture and upskill new and existing game creators into high-profile AAA publishers that are globally recognized, as well as provide support by way of advisory and investment or acquisition.”

By 2030, Ward envisions Savvy playing a contributing role in the Kingdom’s growing economy along with being a major player in the global gaming community.

He noted that the national gaming and esports strategy was a comprehensive investment to develop the entire gaming and esports value chain.

“The strategy will foster new career and business opportunities and will make Saudi Arabia a global hub of gaming and esports by 2030,” he added.


KSrelief takes Part in second European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels

KSrelief takes Part in second European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels
Updated 51 min ago

KSrelief takes Part in second European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels

KSrelief takes Part in second European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels
  • Saudi Arabia is considered one of the biggest donors of humanitarian aid in the world

Riyadh:  Saudi Arabia’s vast role in the field of humanitarian work around the world was praised on Monday by the Swedish State Secretary to Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Diana Janse.

In a meeting with the General Supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSreleif) Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, on the sidelines of the Second European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels, Janse discussed ways to enhance cooperation with Saudi Arabia on the humanitarian aid front around the world.

Saudi Arabia is considered one of the biggest donors of humanitarian aid in the world, with donations amounting to a whopping $95bn in the past 70 years, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan at the Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum that took place last month.

Al-Rabeeah accompanied by head of the Kingdom’s Mission to the European Union Ambassador Haifa Al-Judaea, attended the opening of the Forum along with leading representatives of donor countries and UN agencies around the world.

KSrelief’s participation in the forum is part of its constant efforts to develop humanitarian work, and to find effective solutions to improve living conditions and support vulnerable groups all over the world.

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Saudi foreign ministry rejects remarks by Israeli official on Palestinians

Saudi foreign ministry rejects remarks by Israeli official on Palestinians
Updated 21 March 2023

Saudi foreign ministry rejects remarks by Israeli official on Palestinians

Saudi foreign ministry rejects remarks by Israeli official on Palestinians

RIYADH: The Saudi foreign ministry said Tuesday that it rejected statements made by the Israeli finance minister, who denied the existence of the Palestinian people, saying the remarks contributed to spreading hatred and violence and undermine peace.
“The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom’s condemnation and denunciation of the offensive and racist remarks made by an official at the Israeli occupation government against the State of Palestine and its brotherly people,” read the ministry’s statement on Twitter.
“The Kingdom confirms its rejection of the statements made by the Israeli official, which are contrary to the truth.”
“The Kingdom supports efforts to resolve the Palestinian issue in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative,” it added. 
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads a religious-nationalist party in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right coalition, said on Sunday there was “no such thing as a Palestinian people,” or Palestinian history or culture.