RIYADH: US President Donald Trump, who is making his first foreign visit starting with Saudi Arabia, will arrive here today to hold talks with King Salman on a range of key issues, including Iran, Syria, Yemen, terrorism, the Middle East peace process, as well as ways and means to further strengthen Saudi-US ties.
Trump will attend three high-profile summits during his stay in Riyadh, including a GCC-US Summit and an Arab-Islamic-US Summit on Sunday.
“President Trump’s visit to the Kingdom is very important in the shared goal and efforts to fight terrorism and bring safety, and stability in the Middle East,” said member of the Shoura Council Mona A. Almushait here Friday.
“Trump’s meetings in Riyadh are essential to our national security and to the global stability, particularly because there will be discussions on measures to take to confront the Iranian aggression,” she added.
Almushait said that “Saudi Arabia, the largest stable economy in the Middle East, is characterized by its active membership in the club of G-20 states.”
“The Kingdom and the US enjoy strong economic and trade relations supported by common interests,” she said, adding that several agreements are expected to be signed during the US president’s visit.
Trump’s first stop on this first visit abroad is Saudi Arabia, after which he will go to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, and Italy.
The eight-day trip will also see him go to attend the NATO Summit in Belgium and the G-7 Summit of major industrial nations, to be held in Italy.
Almushait said: “I am delighted that President Trump is visiting Saudi Arabia. This is the first time a US president has chosen a Muslim nation for his first foreign trip, a gesture that demonstrates America’s commitments to and support for Muslim nations,” she added.
“I would also like to mention that we have an active Saudi-American Friendship Committee in the Shoura Council that aims and strives to further strengthen the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the US, and enhance the understanding between the two counties,” she said.
Reinforcing the belief that the visit of the US president to Saudi Arabia is significant, German Ambassador Dieter W. Haller said: “Trump’s visit is very important for the security architecture in the region, and underlines the pivotal role the Kingdom is playing in the region.
“I understand that the fight against terrorism and extremism will be the main focus of the visit and this is very good news,” said Haller.
He added: “We can only fight terrorism successfully if we all — Arabs, Muslims and non-Muslims, Europeans, Americans — stand together.
“International security cooperation but also the joint fight against extremist ideas require the bundling of all our efforts,” said the German envoy, adding that these issues were also the focus of discussions during the recent visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Saudi Arabia.
Emphasizing the need for strong international collaboration with the Muslim world to fight the menace of terrorism, Portuguese Ambassador Manuel Carvalho said: “I hope the very significant meetings President Trump will have in Riyadh will create the foundation for a better mutual understanding for all involved and for a stronger action in confronting the common challenges, including terrorism and regional instability.”
Carvalho’s views were echoed by Turkish Ambassador Yunus Demirer, who welcomed the fact that the Arab-Islamic-US Summit will be held in Riyadh during the US president’s visit.
Demirer said that “Turkey stands with Saudi Arabia, the US and its allies in the Muslim world for unified efforts to fight terror and terrorist groups.”
He said that “Ankara supports the aims and objectives of the Arab-Islamic-US Summit, which seeks to work toward the establishment of a new partnership to confront extremism and terrorism, and reinforce the values of tolerance and coexistence.”
Trump visit proof of US commitment to Muslim nations: Experts
Trump visit proof of US commitment to Muslim nations: Experts
Kingdom arrests 23,194 illegals in one week
RIYADH: Saudi authorities arrested 23,194 people in one week for breaching residency, work and border security regulations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
According to an official report, a total of 13,083 people were arrested for violations of residency laws, while 6,210 were held over illegal border crossing attempts, and a further 3,901 for labor-related issues.
The report showed that among the 1,536 people arrested for trying to enter the Kingdom illegally, 57 percent were Ethiopian, 41 percent Yemeni, and 2 percent were of other nationalities.
A further 57 people were caught trying to cross into neighboring countries, and 23 were held for involvement in transporting and harboring violators.
The Ministry of Interior said that anyone found to be facilitating illegal entry to the Kingdom, including providing transportation and shelter, could face imprisonment for a maximum of 15 years, a fine of up to SR1 million ($260,000), as well as confiscation of vehicles and property.
Suspected violations can be reported on the toll-free number 911 in the Makkah and Riyadh regions, and 999 or 996 in other regions of the Kingdom.
Telemedicine continues to bridge critical-care gaps in Saudi Arabia
- Tech is ‘bridging’ urban-rural divide, says Dr. Amera Rahmatullah
- Physician trains residents in critical-care skills vital for the nation
Riyadh: Telemedicine continues to help bridge treatment gaps in Saudi Arabia for rural areas and others that have a shortage of services, according to a leading physician.
Dr. Amera Rahmatullah, a consultant in pulmonary and critical care at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, told Arab News recently that telemedicine has ushered in a new era of critical care.
Rahmatullah said: “Our Tele-ICU initiative has transformed critical care in Saudi Arabia by bridging the gap between urban and rural healthcare.
“This WHO-accredited program has reduced unnecessary hospital transfers, improved patient outcomes, and provided timely interventions in remote areas, offering seamless, high-quality care across the Kingdom.”
Under Rahmatullah’s leadership, KFSHRC’s Critical Care Medicine department manages a wide range of specialized units, including surgical and organ transplants, medical and oncology units, and COVID-19 units.
With 67 beds, these units admit over 4,000 patients annually, supported by 24/7 consultant coverage and highly trained multidisciplinary teams of physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and allied health professionals.
For clinicians in telemedicine, the COVID-19 pandemic blew open the doors of need and access. What had been used before to treat critically ill patients in remote, rural, and hard-to-reach communities was suddenly in play for most of the population.
Recognizing the need to extend its specialized care beyond hospital walls, the Tele-ICU program was launched in 2010, initially to reduce patient transfers and ensure remote communities had access to critical care expertise, said Rahmatullah.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it expanded rapidly, becoming a lifeline for managing critically ill patients.
Today, the Tele-ICU network provides real-time ICU support across the Kingdom, ensuring high-quality care nationwide.
This initiative is part of KFSHRC’s broader nationwide strategy to expand critical care services, she added.
As the director of the Critical Care Medicine Residency Program, Rahmatullah has been instrumental in shaping the future of this workforce for Saudi Arabia.
She trains residents across various ICUs and equips them with the technical and leadership skills to manage the Kingdom’s most complex cases.
Under her leadership, the residency program has become a key pipeline for future specialists, ensuring that KFSHRC remains at the forefront of healthcare education and innovation.
Rahmatullah is also involved in the COVI-PRONE trial, an innovative research initiative aimed at improving outcomes for COVID-19 patients in intensive care.
KSrelief’s charitable work in Yemen, Afghanistan continues
RIYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) continues its charitable work in Yemen and Afghanistan, with the provision of medical services and shelter kits to individuals in need.
In Yemen, the Al-Ja’dah Health Center clinics in the Midi District of Hajjah Governorate continued to treat beneficiaries from Aug. 21 to 27 through KSrelief’s support.
The clinics provided comprehensive healthcare services to 96,184 patients, including in the field of internal medicine, reproductive health, pediatrics, communicable disease, and emergency services, treated injuries and referred complex cases, state news agency SPA reported.
The center also secured medicines, medical supplies, laboratory reagents and supplies, and medical and non-medical consumables for 60,823 individuals, treated 123 children suffering from malnutrition and vaccinated 451 children.
In Yemen’s Marib Governorate, the Saudi aid agency provided in November medical services to 453 individuals who had lost limbs. KSrelief’s ongoing project has so given 1,829 various services including fitting and rehabilitating prosthetic limbs, physical therapy and specialized consultations.
In Afghanistan, KSrelief distributed on Thursday 276 shelter kits in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province as part of the 2024 shelter project attending to returnees from Pakistan and people affected by floods.
Saudi Arabia condemns Israel’s burning of Gaza hospital
- Kamal Adwan Hospital was one of the last operating in the northernmost part of the Gaza Strip
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Friday denounced the burning of a Gaza hospital by Israeli forces and the forced removal of patients and medical staff from the facility.
Hospital officials said that Israeli troops raided Kamal Adwan Hospital on Friday, gathered staff outside the facility, removed their clothes, and took them to an unknown location.
Israeli soldiers then set fire to several parts of the facility, which is one of the last operating in the northernmost part of the Gaza Strip, including the surgery department, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave.
The actions constitute a violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and the most fundamental humanitarian and ethical norms, said a statement by the Saudi foreign ministry.
Israel claimed Hamas fighters had been operating in the facility, which hospital officials denied.
Saudi Arabia to provide $500m in new economic support for Yemen
- Budget, stability, Central Bank of Yemen targeted
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia announced on Friday a new economic support package for Yemen worth $500 million and aimed at bolstering the government’s budget, stabilizing the Central Bank of Yemen, and fostering the development and stability of the Yemeni people.
The latest assistance includes a $300 million deposit into the Central Bank of Yemen to improve economic and financial conditions, alongside $200 million to address the Yemeni budget deficit, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The latest funding forms part of a larger $1.2 billion initiative through the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen. The program focuses on enhancing food security; supporting wages and operating expenses; and aiding the Yemeni government in implementing its economic reform agenda.
The new support aims to establish economic, financial, and monetary stability in Yemen by strengthening public finances, building government institutional capacity, and enhancing governance and transparency, the SPA added.
The assistance will empower the private sector to drive sustainable economic growth, create job opportunities, and place Yemen’s national economy on a more sustainable path for economic and social development.
Saudi Arabia’s previous economic assistance included deposits in the Central Bank of Yemen, which increased foreign exchange reserves, stabilized the local currency, reduced exchange rates, and stimulated the growth in gross domestic product.
The assistance also lowered fuel and diesel costs, reduced prices of imported food commodities, and supported the import of essential goods, including wheat, rice, milk, cooking oil, and sugar.
In addition, Saudi grants have helped the Yemeni government manage operating expenses, pay salaries, and mitigate the economic crisis by boosting foreign exchange reserves and restoring confidence in Yemen’s financial institutions.
These measures reduced reliance on borrowing to finance budget deficits, enhanced financial system stability, and alleviated inflationary pressures.
Saudi Arabia has also prioritized critical sectors in Yemen through grants and projects implemented by SDRPY, including more than 260 development initiatives across various Yemeni governorates, covering education, health, water, energy, transportation, agriculture, and fisheries.
These projects have improved access to essential services; provided medical treatments for chronic diseases and cancer patients; supported education; and ensured the provision of petroleum derivatives for electricity generation.
Saudi Arabia’s grants for petroleum derivatives have played a vital role in operating 80 power plants across Yemen, boosting energy efficiency and revitalizing productive and service sectors.
