RIYADH: Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday was elevated to the position of crown prince and deputy prime minister, and will maintain his post as minister of defense.
Born on Aug. 31, 1985, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the son of King Salman, received his education at Riyadh schools where he ranked among the top 10 students in his class. He received his bachelor’s degree in law from King Saud University (KSU), where he graduated second in his class.
Prince Mohammed gained international experience in corporate governance and international finance. He began his political career as a consultant to the Experts Commission under the Saudi Cabinet.
On Dec. 15, 2009, Prince Mohammed bin Salman was appointed special adviser to then-Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, who at the time was governor of Riyadh province.
He was also a special adviser to the chairman of the board for the King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah), and then became supervisor of the crown prince’s office.
In March 2013, by royal decree, Prince Mohammed was appointed head of the crown prince’s court with the rank of minister and special adviser to then-Crown Prince Salman. On April 25, 2014, he was appointed as a state minister and member of the Cabinet.
His long history of philanthropic initiatives earned him many awards. In 2011, he established the Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Foundation (MiSK), which enables young Saudis to learn, develop and progress in the fields of business, literature, culture, science and technology, and sociology.
Following the demise of King Abdullah in 2015, King Salman ascended to the throne and appointed Prince Mohammed as deputy crown prince, second deputy premier and minister of defense. He has also served as chief of the Royal Court, and chairs the powerful Council for Economic and Development Affairs.
Last year, the crown prince moved into what he described as his most important role: Transforming the Kingdom’s economy and reducing its dependence on oil revenues.
On April 25, 2016, the Saudi government unveiled Vision 2030, including a series of developmental, economic and social programs. The same day, Al Arabiya News Channel aired an exclusive interview with Prince Mohammed. During the interview, the crown prince pledged to end the Saudi economy’s dependence on oil revenues by 2020. Prince Mohammed also discussed measures to lift subsidies on the Kingdom’s wealthy citizens and assist the country’s poor.
The measures, as part of Vision 2030, will be implemented on everyone, “including princes and government ministers,” Prince Mohammed said. “This is a promise.”
In an interview with prominent news outlet Bloomberg earlier in April 2016, Prince Mohammed discussed the Kingdom’s soon-to-be unveiled National Transformation Plan (NTP) 2020, part of Vision 2030.
At the time, he told Bloomberg that the Kingdom would dramatically expand its Public Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth fund, to reach around $2 trillion in assets. The sale of around 5 percent of Saudi Aramco’s shares would be placed into the fund, he added. “What is left now is to diversify investments,” he said. “So, within 20 years, we will be an economy or state that doesn’t depend mainly on oil.”
In a second, even longer interview with Bloomberg later that month, Prince Mohammed further expanded on his plans to transform the Kingdom’s economy. The interview also highlighted the prince’s personal life — his long hours, fluency in English, love of reading books by Sun Tzu and Winston Churchill, and his choice to have just one wife.
The crown prince has represented King Salman abroad, traveling to Beijing, Moscow and Washington, where he met President Donald Trump in March.
In an interview with Al Arabiya, former US President Barack Obama described him as “extremely knowledgeable, very smart” and “wise beyond his years.”
Last year, Prince Mohammed visited Silicon Valley to sell his vision of market-oriented reforms and a transformation of the Kingdom’s economy and society.
In recent years, Prince Mohammed has become the government’s face of reform, modernization and change. In the Kingdom, where around 60 percent of the population is under 30, the young crown prince is widely seen as an icon in the push toward socio-economic reforms.
Profile: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Profile: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
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Saudi Arabia denounces Israeli far-right minister’s incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque
- Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit and prayer at Al-Aqsa provoked ‘the feelings of Muslims worldwide’
- The Kingdom also condemns the advance by Israeli occupation forces in southern Syria
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the visit by the Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem.
The ministry said that the national security minister’s visit and prayer at the Al-Aqsa compound on Thursday morning was a clear violation and provocation of the feelings of Muslims worldwide.
Ben-Gvir has repeatedly contested the Israeli government’s longstanding ban on Jewish prayer at the Al-Aqsa compound, which has been a focal point of tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Al-Aqsa compound in the Old City of Jerusalem is Islam’s holiest site after the mosques in Makkah and Madinah and is a symbol of Palestinian national identity.
The Saudi ministry on Thursday also condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ advance in southern Syria after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in early December.
“The continuation of (Israeli) military operations in Syria is an attempt to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security and stability,” the ministry said in a statement.
Saudi foreign minister takes part in GCC extraordinary meeting in Kuwait
- GCC officials reject foreign interference in Syrian affairs, call for lifting of Western sanctions
- Meeting affirms GCC’s support for Palestinian people and demands ceasefire in Gaza
RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan took part in the 46th extraordinary meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s ministerial council in Kuwait on Thursday.
Ministers and officials from GCC countries discussed the latest developments in Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza.
They stressed the need to uphold Syria’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in early December.
The ministerial council rejected foreign interference in Syrian affairs and called for Western sanctions that have weakened the country’s economy to be lifted, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
They reaffirmed their support for a comprehensive transitional process that ensures civilian safety, achieves national reconciliation, and preserves state institutions.
The council condemned Israeli attacks on Syria and the plan to expand illegal settlements in the occupied Golan Heights. It also condemned Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
Officials stressed that Lebanon needs political and economic reforms to prevent it from becoming a hub for terrorism and drug smuggling, highlighting the critical role of the Lebanese security forces in addressing these issues, the SPA added.
The meeting affirmed the GCC’s support for the Palestinian people, and called for a permanent ceasefire, an end to the siege in Gaza, and the supply of humanitarian aid.
Prince Sultan bin Saad, Saudi ambassador to Kuwait, and other senior Saudi foreign officials attended the meeting.
200 students will compete to represent Saudi Arabia at top science events
- Mawhiba, Ministry of Education select students from a record 291,057 applications
RIYADH: A total of 200 students have been chosen to compete for a chance to represent the Kingdom at next year’s prestigious International Science and Engineering Fair and other international competitions.
The King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, or Mawhiba, and the Ministry of Education announced the qualification of the 200 students, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
The announcement took place at the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity, or Ibdaa, exhibition for science and engineering. The Ibdaa event is held to create a competitive and creative environment for pre-college scientific researchers.
The students were selected from among 480 participants in the recent regional exhibitions held as a part of the fourth stage of the Olympiad.
The final qualifying stage for the Olympiad will be held at the Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University conference center in Riyadh from Feb. 2 to 6.
The Ibdaa 2025 Olympiad had a record registration of 291,057 students.
The Olympiad is an annual international contest for middle and high school students in standards and technology. It started as a local event in Korea in 2006, and became an international contest in 2014.
Beekeepers’ association launches green campaign
RIYADH: The Beekeepers Cooperative Association in Rijal Almaa in the Asir Region on Thursday launched an initiative to plant 1,000 sidr trees in Wadi Hiswah as part of an environmental sustainability plan aligning with the Saudi Green Initiative.
Inaugurated in 2021, the Saudi Green Initiative unites environmental protection, energy transition and sustainability programs with the overarching aims of offsetting and reducing emissions, increasing afforestation and land restoration, and supports Saudi Arabia’s ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2060.
The Beekeepers Association launched the green campaign in collaboration with the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The chairman of the association’s board of directors, Ali bin Yahya Al-Hayani, said that this initiative aims to enhance air quality and combat climate change.
He identified the environmental benefits of the sidr tree, highlighting its resilience, its role in combating desertification, and its contribution to soil health and biodiversity.
Reconstituted Saudi IP authority’s board of directors approved
- Shihana Alazzaz, who is an adviser at the Royal Court, will continue to serve as chair
RIYADH: The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property’s newly-reconstituted Board of Directors was approved for a three-year term, the Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday.
In the reconstituted board, Shihana Alazzaz, who is an adviser at the Royal Court, will continue to serve as chair. She previously served as the deputy secretary-general of the Council of Ministers and was the first Saudi woman to hold the position.
The approval includes extending the membership of Eng. Haitham Al-Ohali, Eng. Osama Al-Zamil, and Dima Al-Yahya.
Badr Al-Qadi and Dr. Mohammed Al-Otaibi join the board as new members.
Alazzaz expressed her thanks and gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their generous and continuous support for the authority.
She also thanked the previous board members for their efforts and wished the new members success.
The authority’s CEO Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem, said that the new formation of the board reflects the continued generous support of the leadership for the authority, wishing the Board success.
