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President Joe Biden's national security adviser met early Sunday with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss what the kingdom described as the semi-final version of a wide-ranging security agreement between the countries. The announcement by the state-run Saudi Press Agency comes as the strategic deal had been upended after Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage back to the Gaza Strip. In the time since, a punishing Israeli airstrike campaign and ground offensive there has killed over 35,000 Palestinians, endangering the security deal that had included Saudi Arabia diplomatically recognising Israel for the first time since its founding in 1948. Saudi state media released no images of Jake Sullivan and Prince Mohammed meeting in Dhahran, a city in the kingdom's far east that's home to its state-run oil giant, the Saudi Arabian Oil Co. known as Saudi Aramco. The semi-final version of the draft strategic agreemen
Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman's much-anticipated visit to Pakistan has been deferred for unspecified reasons, a report said on Saturday. He was earlier expected to arrive in Islamabad on May 19 on a two-day visit, Geo News reported. Commenting on the visit of the Saudi crown prince, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra Baloch on Friday clarified that details of the visit will be made public as soon as a schedule is worked out between Islamabad and Riyadh. Baloch was confident that the visit would take place soon and surely be valuable as the people of Pakistan were anxiously waiting for the leader from the brotherly country. The high-level visit was likely to take place after the recent diplomatic and trade-related engagements between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to the Kingdom in March. The expected visit of the top dignitary, which has now been delayed, possesses vital importance to cash-strapped Pakistan eyeing big ...
Saudi Arabia's crown prince transferred another 8% of shares in the kingdom's oil giant Saudi Aramco to the country's prominent sovereign wealth fund on Thursday. The shares are worth some $160 billion. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's decision comes as the kingdom is trying to build a series of megaprojects and invest in sports and other fields aggressively abroad to wean the country off of relying solely on oil. The country's sovereign wealth fund known as the Public Investment Fund, or PIF, has been a key element of Mohammed's plans, known as Saudi Vision 2030. The transfer of part of the state's shares in Saudi Aramco is a continuation of Saudi Arabia's long-term initiatives to boost and diversify the national economy and expand investment opportunities in line with Saudi Vision 2030, a statement announcing the deal said. The transfer will also solidify PIF's strong financial position and credit rating. The statement said the kingdom's ownership in Aramco would now be 82.186%
The strategic partnership between India and Saudi Arabia is crucial for regional and global stability and welfare, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday during his talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. Describing Saudi Arabia as one of India's most important strategic partners, Modi said both sides are adding new dimension to the ties in tune with changing times. Modi and Bin Salman reviewed the bilateral relations at the first meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council. In his opening remarks at the meeting, the prime minister said several initiatives have been identified to take "our close partnership to next level. Our relationship will get a new direction and energy in today's meeting". The India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council was announced in 2019 with an aim to further increase cooperation in critical areas. Bin Salman is currently on a State visit to India following end of the G20 Summit. Ahead of t
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held wide-ranging talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, focussing on shoring up bilateral trade and defence ties. Bin Salman is currently on a State visit to India following end of the G20 Summit. Ahead of the talks, the Crown Prince was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. "I am very glad to be here in India. I want to congratulate India for the G20 Summit," Bin Salman told reporters after the ceremonial welcome. The Saudi leader said the announcements made at the summit will benefit the world. "We will work together to create a great future for both the countries," he said. Saudi Arabia is one of India's key strategic partners in the Middle-East. The overall relations between the two countries have witnessed a significant upward trajectory in the last few years. The two sides have also been focusing on strengthening their defence and security partnership. The then C