RIYADH: Iraq’s agriculture minister on Wednesday urged Saudi businessmen to invest in mutually beneficial agricultural projects in his country.
Falah Al-Lahibi was addressing members of the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) at a meeting chaired by its Vice Chairman Sami Al-Obaidi at the council’s headquarters in Riyadh.
Al-Lahibi, leading an Iraqi delegation, urged Saudi businessmen to learn about his country’s promising investment opportunities in the agricultural sector.
The meeting, attended by Iraqi Ambassador to the Kingdom Rushdi Al-Ani, discussed ways to strengthen bilateral economic and trade relations, and reviewed investment opportunities in both countries.
Al-Lahibi reviewed Iraq’s agricultural sector, its economic importance and its investment potential.
He said there are promising opportunities due to the availability of water, fertile land, expertise and labor, as well as the geographic proximity between the two countries. He added that investing in Iraq is now safe as security has stabilized.
Welcoming Al-Lahibi, Al-Obaidi expressed Saudi interest in investing in Iraq. He called for joint efforts to increase bilateral trade and investment in viable ventures in the agricultural sector, which is an important way to diversify sources of income in the Kingdom, in line with Vision 2030.
Iraq urges Saudis to invest in agricultural projects
Iraq urges Saudis to invest in agricultural projects
Syrian Arab Republic president meets with Saudi crown prince in Riyadh
- The president is accompanied by the country’s foreign minister, Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani
RIYADH: The President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday on his first foreign trip since taking office, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Syrian Arab News Agency reported the president was accompanied by the country’s foreign minister, Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani.
A picture posted on social media platform X by the Syrian Arab Republic’s presidency showed Al-Sharaa and Al-Shaibani en route to Saudi Arabia.
President al-#Sharaa in the 1st official visit to #KSAhttps://t.co/wu17EyxVDC pic.twitter.com/NtUfsr7v0f
— SANAEnglishOfficial (@SANAEnOfficial) February 2, 2025
Al-Sharaa became president after the toppling of the regime of Bashar Assad in December last year.
Last month, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, visited Damascus and said the Kingdom was engaged in talks with the US and European partners to help lift economic sanctions imposed on the Syrian Arab Republic that have left the country’s economy decimated.
Tihama’s climate boosts honey production in Baha
RIYADH: The moderate climate and abundant flowering trees in the Tihama area of the Baha region attract thousands of beekeepers with hives, creating an ideal environment for honey production from seasonal and mountainous blossoms.
Beekeeper Mohammed Al-Zahrani said that migration from the Sarawat Mountains to Tihama is driven by favorable climate, rainfall, and tree diversity, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
He added that this move revitalizes bees after the ziziphus spina-christi season when their population drops, offering fresh pastures for reproduction.
Beekeeper Ali Al-Ghamdi explained that relocating to the governorates of Qalwa, Al-Hujrah, and Wadi Al-Ahsabah provides bees with a year-round food supply and protection from the cold mountain temperatures that can be fatal.
He stressed that beekeeping requires endurance, knowledge, and experience but remains an important and valuable industry, the SPA reported.
Beekeeper Saleh Al-Omari highlighted the coordination among beekeepers in choosing apiary sites, ensuring proper spacing to prevent crossbreeding, promote nutrition, and avoid disease.
Mohammed Al-Shadwi, chairman of the Beekeepers Cooperative Association in Baha, said around 3,000 beekeepers are registered with the association, including professionals with over 1,000 hives and amateurs with about 100. They represent 16 percent of the Kingdom’s total beekeepers.
The region produces 20 percent of Saudi Arabia’s honey annually, totaling around 1,000 tonnes across 15 varieties, according to the SPA.
Kingdom strengthens cultural ties at Delhi book fair
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission is taking part in the New Delhi World Book Fair, being held at Pragati Maidan from Feb. 1-9.
Its involvement is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen cultural cooperation between the Kingdom and India, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.
The commission aims to highlight Saudi Arabia’s role in the global cultural and literary landscape, raise awareness of its heritage and highlight its publications and contribution to the international literary scene. It also seeks to promote cultural and intellectual exchange between the two countries.
The commission’s pavilion features its literary and cultural initiatives, including “Tarjim” which supports Saudi Arabia’s translation movement. It also hosts sections dedicated to the King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language and the King Fahd National Library.
Saudi Arabia was previously guest of honor at the 2024 New Delhi World Book Fair, where it organized various programs and events reflecting the Kingdom’s cultural and creative landscape.
KSrelief’s humanitarian and relief efforts continue
RIYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center’s (KSrelief) humanitarian and relief efforts continue with the distribution of food, hygiene supplies as well as the provision of emergency transport services.
In in Ma’arrat Misrin of Syria’s Idlib Governorate, KSrelief handed out 672 food boxes and 672 hygiene kits as part of the second phase of the food aid and hygiene kit distribution project for populations affected by the earthquake in 2025.
In Lebanon’s Akkar Governorate and Miniyeh district, the aid agency during the past week distributed 175,000 bags of bread to Syrian and Palestinian refugees as well as residents of host communities. The initiative was part of the fourth phase of Al-Amal Charitable Bakery Project in the country.
In the Battagram and Buner districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as well as the Sukkur district in Sindh province of Pakistan, 2,160 food packages were given to families in flood-affected areas as part of the Food Security Support Project 2025
Meanwhile, KSrelief delivered 125 tonnes of dates to Sudan as a gift from the Kingdom.
In north Lebanon, the KSrelief-funded ambulance service of Subul Al-Salam Social Association in the Miniyeh district carried out 61 missions during the past week, including transporting patients to and from hospitals and treating burn injuries.
Female participation in Riyadh camel racing event
- The increase in the number of participating women camel riders has also contributed to a rise in the prizes
RIYADH: The number of women taking part in camel racing at the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Camel Festival this year has doubled compared to 2024, reported the Saudi Press Agency.
The increase has led the organizing committee to add a second race which includes 18 Saudi female camel riders.
Organized by the Saudi Camel Federation, the festival’s second edition kicked off on Jan. 27 at the Janadriyah Camel Race Track in Riyadh. It will end on Wednesday, Feb. 5 with total prize money of more than SR70 million ($18.7 million) awarded.
During last year’s festival, 15 female camel riders competed, representing Britain, France, Germany, Iran, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yemen.
This year has seen 30 female riders from 12 countries take part: Algeria, Bahrain, Britain, France, Germany, Oman, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the UAE, US and Yemen.
The increase has contributed to a rise in the prize pot, with the first-placed female rider receiving SR60,000.
