ASEAN-GCC Summit will reshape dynamics of our relations, says Malaysian envoy

ASEAN-GCC Summit will reshape dynamics of our relations, says Malaysian envoy
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Malaysian Ambassador Datuk Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah with Riyadh Mayor Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf (Center) at National Day celebration. (Supplied/Malaysian Embassy)
ASEAN-GCC Summit will reshape dynamics of our relations, says Malaysian envoy
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Malaysian Ambassador Datuk Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah (Right) cutting cake with Riyadh Mayor Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf (Center) at National Day celebration. (Supplied/Malaysian Embassy)
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Updated 19 October 2023
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ASEAN-GCC Summit will reshape dynamics of our relations, says Malaysian envoy

ASEAN-GCC Summit will reshape dynamics of our relations, says Malaysian envoy
  • “I am confident that we can work together with the Kingdom to ensure the success of the summit,” said Malaysian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Datuk Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah
  • Saudi Arabia is Malaysia’s largest trading partner among the West Asian countries

RIYADH: Relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council will be elevated by the inaugural ASEAN-GCC Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia in October, according to Malaysian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Datuk Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah.
“As the country coordinator for the ASEAN-GCC Summit, I wish to extend my gratitude to my ASEAN colleagues for the support rendered thus far for the preparation of the inaugural summit scheduled to be hosted by the Kingdom in October this year,” he said.
“I am confident that we can work together with the Kingdom to ensure the success of the summit. With more than 600 million (people) in the ASEAN countries, and 60 million people in the Gulf region, the summit could potentially elevate and reshape the dynamics of the ASEAN-GCC relations.”
Speaking at the Malaysian National Day celebration in Riyadh on Wednesday night, the ambassador said: “It is a privilege to welcome you all to commemorate Malaysia’s National Day 2023. I am particularly honored with the presence of Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf, mayor of Riyadh, as we celebrate 66 years of independence, progress, peace and prosperity.”
He added: “Throughout these years, Malaysia continues to pursue an independent, principled and pragmatic foreign policy, founded on the values of peace, humanity, justice, and equality. Malaysia’s foreign policy is largely influenced and shaped by three key factors, its strategic location in Southeast Asia, its attributes as a trading nation, as well as its unique multiracial demography.”
Under the leadership of new Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, Malaysia’s foreign policy approaches are now based on the concept of Malaysia Madani, or Civil Malaysia, that emphasizes good governance, sustainable development and multiracial harmony, he said.
“Malaysia will continue to uphold the principles of engagement and cooperation, and the concept of peaceful co-existence. Focus will also be given to climate change, digital economy, health diplomacy, cybersecurity, and sustainable development, to name a few,” Wan Abdullah said.
“Saudi Arabia enjoys a special status in the context of Malaysia’s bilateral ties with countries in the West Asia region. The Kingdom was one of the countries that sent representatives to Malaysia during its proclamation of independence on Aug. 31, 1957. I can proudly say that the relations between the two countries have progressed tremendously and it has always been a special one.
“This is evidenced by the fact that in less than a year since I assumed my responsibility as the ambassador here, I have witnessed the presence of the king of Malaysia, the prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, (the) foreign minister, and the deputy foreign minister in the Kingdom. These visits are a manifestation of close friendly ties deep-rooted in a shared history, and nourished through growing economic partnership, multi-sectoral cooperation and vibrant people-to-people contact,” he added.
“To this effect, Malaysia continues work toward deepening and strengthening our relations with the Kingdom to a far greater extent by exploring many other possible areas of cooperation, along with the Saudi Vision 2030.”
Saudi Arabia is Malaysia’s largest trading partner among the West Asian countries. “The total bilateral trade between the two countries in 2022 was recorded at $10.26 billion, an increase of 159.2 percent from 2021,” Wan Abdullah said.
The Kingdom’s prominent economic presence in Malaysia is currently led by the Saudi Aramco through the Pengerang Integrated Complex in the southern state of Johor, under a $27 billion deal with the Malaysian petroleum company PETRONAS.
Other Saudi key players in Malaysia are Al-Rajhi Bank and a 25 percent stake owned by Saudi Telecom Co. in Maxis Berhad.
“I am also pleased to share that both Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have explored military-to-military cooperation,” said Wan Abdullah.
“Officials from both countries have benefitted from various training programs in security and intelligence matters conducted by both sides through technical cooperation programs. I had the privilege of visiting the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition Center last month where we agreed on further collaboration, strategic initiatives in combating terrorism.”
Among the remarkable progress in bilateral relations this year was the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, or JAKIM, and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority last May, on mutual recognition of halal certificates for local products.
Through this MoC, goods and products manufactured in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia that have the certificates issued by both the SFDA’s Saudi Halal Center and JAKIM are now mutually recognized.
In education, Malaysia has been a good host for a growing number of students from the Saudi Arabia.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to appreciate the Kingdom for the newly increased number of scholarships granted to Malaysian students annually, from 300 to 700, to further their education in the Kingdom under King Salman’s scholarship program,” said Wan Abdullah.


Italian chef delivers risotto masterclass at Saudi Feast Food Festival

Italian chef delivers risotto masterclass at Saudi Feast Food Festival
Updated 9 sec ago
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Italian chef delivers risotto masterclass at Saudi Feast Food Festival

Italian chef delivers risotto masterclass at Saudi Feast Food Festival
  • Representing his country ‘the dream of my life,’ Valerio Cabri says
  • Chef had earlier taken part in episode of ‘Dinner Incredible’ in AlUla

RIYADH: Italian chef Valerio Cabri hosted a masterclass on how to make the perfect risotto at the Saudi Feast Food Festival.

Representing ALMA, the Italian School of Culinary Arts, located at the heart of Italy’s so-called food valley in Parma, he said: “We are here to represent Italy and our school for a couple of events starting from the Ritz Carlton in which we had a competition with Saudi Arabian students making a risotto.”

The aim of the workshop was to present a typical Italian recipe and highlight two of its best-loved products, Parmigiano Reggiano and Balsamic vinegar of Modena, both of which are classed as protected designation of origin products.

“The masterclass was a success,” Cabri said. “The guests understood the consistency that we want from risotto because risotto is very creamy and is like what we say in Italian ‘wave risotto.’ It’s very creamy, not liquidy, not sticky. It is even difficult for an Italian chef to make a good risotto.”

Hosting the class was a dream come true for the chef, who said it was a privilege to represent his country in the Kingdom.

“I feel so honored, it’s like the dream of my life,” he said. “I am 40 years old now here in this country. So important and so far away from home. I felt like representing my family, honoring my country and I feel like bringing the heritage of my country to an amazing place like this, in which I found a kind of kindness that I probably never seen before.”

The chef’s visit started in AlUla, where he took part in a project called “Dinner Incredible,” which involves a team of 12 world-famous chefs traveling the world and discovering new ingredients to create fabulous meals, as well as supporting small producers and local sustainability.

“The experience was amazing because it was a dinner in the desert in a canyon with no electricity, no water, no everything, and the dining room was under the sky. We love challenges so it was amazing and my role is to help the chefs to make it possible,” Cabri said.

He said he was delighted to have come such a long way in his 20 years as a chef. But things were not always easy.

“At the beginning, it’s very hard, you don’t have fun, you don’t enjoy it that much. The suggestion is to keep going, to keep pushing, to take care of yourself, to honor yourself.

“The fun time will come after. If you are talented, it is impossible to recognize immediately. So, you have to go on even if it’s very hard, if you don’t go on, you won’t discover, no matter if you are talented or not. So the point is to enjoy every time you are cooking even if it’s hard.”

Cabri said the main ingredients for anyone thinking about pursuing a career in cooking were passion and practice.

“If you put everything of yourself, of your art, of your soul in what you do, if you want to be a Michelin star famous chef you have to be talented and a bit of a genius.”

The Saudi Feast Food Festival at the King Saud University in Riyadh showcases the best of Saudi cuisine, including regional specialties. Organized by the Saudi Culinary Arts Commission, it runs until Saturday.


Palestinian Red Crescent official thanks Saudi Arabia for humanitarian aid in Gaza

Palestinian Red Crescent official thanks Saudi Arabia for humanitarian aid in Gaza
Updated 01 December 2023
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Palestinian Red Crescent official thanks Saudi Arabia for humanitarian aid in Gaza

Palestinian Red Crescent official thanks Saudi Arabia for humanitarian aid in Gaza

GAZA: Executive Director of Palestinian Red Crescent Bashar Murad thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for providing humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

Saudi’s aid agency KSrelief provided food and medical aid to displaced and wounded Palestinians in Gaza.

Murad said the aid was sent to the most impacted areas in Gaza and medical supplies provided by the Kingdom were given to the health ministry and hospitals in the area. 

As of Friday, over 24 Saudi aid planes arrived in Gaza through the Rafah crossing. 


Saudi space agency, Axiom Space sign development agreement 

Saudi space agency, Axiom Space sign development agreement 
Updated 01 December 2023
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Saudi space agency, Axiom Space sign development agreement 

Saudi space agency, Axiom Space sign development agreement 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Space Agency and Axiom Space signed an agreement to develop Saudi talent in the field of space.

Axiom Space, a company specializing in developing human spaceflight technologies, will provide training and on-the-job opportunities, in addition to exchanging knowledge, skills and expertise in the fields of human spaceflight.

The agreement was signed during a specialized Saudi delegations’s visit to the US headed by the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha.

This memorandum is expected to enhance educational and professional development opportunities for students and employees, deepen cooperation and maximize mutual benefit between the two sides, the Saudi Press Agency said.


Saudi defense minister holds talks with UN envoy to Yemen and Iranian military chief

Saudi defense minister holds talks with UN envoy to Yemen and Iranian military chief
Updated 01 December 2023
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Saudi defense minister holds talks with UN envoy to Yemen and Iranian military chief

Saudi defense minister holds talks with UN envoy to Yemen and Iranian military chief
  • ‘We reviewed the Kingdom’s efforts to support the peace process in Yemen,’ Prince Khalid bin Salman tweeted after his meeting with envoy Hans Grundberg

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s minister of defense, Prince Khalid bin Salman, and the UN’s special envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on Thursday discussed the latest developments in the conflict in Yemen.

“We reviewed the Kingdom’s efforts to support the peace process in Yemen, as well as the road map between the Yemeni sides to reach a comprehensive and sustainable political solution, under UN supervision,” the prince said in a message posted on social media site X after the meeting in Riyadh.

The Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al-Jaber, and the director general of the Office of the Minister of Defense, Hisham bin Abdulaziz bin Saif, were also present at the meeting, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The UN participants included Linnea Hincks, special assistant to Grundberg; Roxaneh Bazergan, chief of political affairs in the envoy’s office; and April Alley, an adviser to the envoy.

Also on Thursday, Prince Khalid received a telephone call from Maj. Gen. Mohammed Bagheri, the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, during which they reviewed the relationship between their countries in military and defense fields and discussed issues of mutual concern.


Saudi reserve participates in SGI, COP28 conferences 

Saudi reserve participates in SGI, COP28 conferences 
Updated 30 November 2023
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Saudi reserve participates in SGI, COP28 conferences 

Saudi reserve participates in SGI, COP28 conferences 

RIYADH: Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Natural Reserve Development Authority is participating at the co-current Saudi Green Initiative Gallery and UN Climate Change Conference — COP28 — in Dubai, today. 

The reserve will showcase its drone-based program, the biggest of its kind, in protecting biodiversity in Saudi Arabia, for being more effective and efficient in environmental activities and having a lower carbon footprint, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday. 

It has already contributed to raising the efficiency of environmental monitoring and protection teams by more than 220 percent.

Drones have also helped to cut carbon emissions by more than 66 percent by reducing dependence on fossil fuel-powered vehicles.

An interactive screen will also display details of the pioneering Vegetation Cover Evaluation Project, which uses remote-sensor technologies, as well as many initiatives dedicated to expanding the vegetation cover and afforestation. 

All of ITBA’s projects and initiatives are fully aligned with the national goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, and dedicated to preserving the vegetation cover and biodiversity, including rare and endangered species, as part of broader environmental protection efforts.

The Saudi Green Initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions, plant 10 billion trees in the Kingdom over the next decades and protect 30 percent of the Kingdom’s land and marine areas by 2030, as part of the Kingdom’s efforts to reach carbon neutrality by 2060.

It is worth noting that IBTA spans more than 91,500 sq km, making it the second largest royal reserve in the Kingdom.

Known for its picturesque nature and biodiversity, the reserve is home to 138 wild species, including Rhim Gazelles, Oryxes, and more than 179 wild plants, including Ziziphus, Acacia and Arta trees.