Saudi-American Native Fury 2022 maneuvers begin in Yanbu – Arab News

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RIYADH: The Native Fury 2022 drill between Saudi armed forces and US marine corps has begun in Yanbu’s exercise operations area.
The exercise will last nearly a month and include many drills and exercises on logistics as well as live ammunition shooting.
It was opened by Saudi Air Force Major General Ahmed Aldebais and US Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Paul J. Rock and a number of senior officials from both sides, who toured the sites of the drill.
The exercise commander Col. Saud Al-Aqili said that the “Native Fury” exercise aimed to “practice and train the implementation of bilateral operational and logistical military plans, exchange experiences between the two sides, and complementary work with civil authorities to implement such mixed exercises.”

Col. Matthew H., commander of the American forces participating in the exercise, said that the maneuvers improved complementary work and raise the level of compatibility and combat readiness of the Saudi and American forces.
Relations between the two countries date back to 1931, when the Kingdom began the commercial journey of oil exploration and production.
In 1933, King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud granted an American company the right to explore for oil, which was followed by the signing of a cooperation agreement between the two countries.
The historic meeting on board the US cruiser (USS Quincy) on Feb. 14, 1945 between King Abdulaziz and US President Franklin Roosevelt established decades of relations and strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and the US.
Ali Al-Balawi, a strategic analyst, told Arab News: “The exercise means a lot as it affirms the importance of Saudi-American joint military cooperation safeguarding common interests and regional security.”
Al-Balawi said that the exercise confirmed that joint training programs between the Saudi Armed Forces and the United States Marines “will continue, as planned, and are not influenced by any other political factors.”
He said that this meant that security and stability were given priority over many other matters, “especially because American military and intelligence officials realize that without the Saudi positive role there will be no security or stability in the Middle East and no protection to the US interests.”  
Saudi Arabia, according to Al-Balawi, is a pivotal and important country with moderate policies, which “are important factors in the international and regional stabilization industry.”
He said that the combat efficiency of the Saudi Army, as well as the quality of the advanced and sophisticated weapons it deals with, qualified it for joint training with the US Navy. He highlighted the importance of the waterways surrounding Saudi Arabia and the international trade passing through the region, which required Saudi power.
Al-Balawi said that the goal of the exercise was to emphasize Saudi Arabia and America’s ability to provide regional security requirements, to send a message to all threats to vital waterways in the region, and to show that Saudi forces have the rehabilitation and training capability to deal with emergency conditions as they occur.
RIYADH: Saudi authorities have arrested 146 smugglers, including 19 citizens, in a major security operation that foiled an attempt to illegally bring into Kingdom more than 48.6 tons of khat, 1.5 tons of hashish and 634,000 amphetamine tablets.
The remaining suspects were 87 Yemeni nationals, 32 Ethiopians, three Somali nationals, two Iraqis, two Egyptians and a Pakistani, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.
The Saudi Ministry of Interior posted a video of the operation carried out by the security patrols of borders guards of Najran, Jazan, Asir and Tabuk regions.
 
إحباط محاولات تهريب أكثر من (48.6) طن من مادة القات المخدر، وأكثر من (1.5) طن من مادة الحشيش المخدر، و(634) ألف قرص إمفيتامين مخدر.#الحرب_على_المخدرات pic.twitter.com/DxUKgge5CO

Authorities completed the initial legal procedures before handing over the smugglers and seized narcotics to the relevant authorities for further action.
 
RIYADH: Two planes carrying 180 tons of humanitarian aid from Saudi Arabia arrived in Karachi as Pakistan reels from its worst floods in decades.
Each of the two flights, which arrived on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning respectively, carried 90 tons of food, shelter, and medical supplies for those impacted by the floods, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.  
The aid, dispatched by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), will reach over 19,000 beneficiaries across Pakistan amid the floods caused by unusually heavy monsoon rains, which killed more than 1,300 people and displaced millions more.
“This airlift is a part of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to providing urgent support to countries facing crises such as the one being experienced in Pakistan,” read the SPA statement.
Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki had received the first batch of aid that arrived on Tuesday evening at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, along with the Saudi Consul General in Karachi Bandar bin Fahd Al-Dayel, and Minister for Labour and Human Resources Saeed Ghani of Sindh Province.
KSrelief earlier established a Saudi air bridge to deliver urgent aid to flood-hit Pakistan.
MADINAH: The Royal Commission for AlUla has signed an agreement for Serco Group, a British company that primarily operates as a contractor for the provision of government services in various countries, to provide consulting services for the management of infrastructure services in AlUla.

Moataz Kurdi, the head of the commission’s operations sector, said the deal includes consultations on the design and implementation of an infrastructure-services strategy, along with support for implementing its master plan. Serco will also deliver a facility-management plan that forms the basis of operations in AlUla governorate.

The agreement will help to improve the quality of operations and facilities in a way that is compatible with the natural environment of AlUla and its historical sites, Kurdi added, as well as the commission’s objective of achieving comprehensive sustainable development in line with the aims of Vision 2030.

Serco Middle East CEO Phil Malem said he is looking forward to helping the commission achieve its objectives by providing strategic and operational services that will contribute to the vision for AlUla.

The commission has adopted a sustainable approach to its work through the implementation of a number of programs and initiatives. They include A Journey Through Time, a scheme launched in April 2021 that aims to promote AlUla as a global destination for culture, natural heritage and ecotourism, and as a desirable place to live and work.
RIYADH: The Saudi government has enjoyed great success its efforts to promote and protect human rights and noble values based on the principle of “the human being first” but the work continues, the UN heard on Tuesday.
Speaking on the second day of the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Abdul Aziz Al-Khayyal, vice president of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, said the work his country is doing in this field reflect the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Kingdom has made great strides in the development of human rights over the past few years, with achievements in a number of areas, most notably women’s rights, education, health and climate change, which are reflected in recent international human rights indicators and reports.
He also stressed the Kingdom’s firm stance on support for the people of Yemen and the nation’s internationally-recognized government, and its desire to support the UN-brokered truce in the country. He reiterated Saudi Arabia’s complete rejection of Houthi attempts to exploit the international community, and the desire of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen for peace despite the Iran-backed militia’s refusal to meet its obligations under the truce, and its ongoing detention of UN staff.

Under #Vision2030, the Kingdom strives to ensure a quality of life based on high levels of education and a healthy population with access to the best medical care. According to the @UNDP‘s #HumanDevelopmentIndex #KSA continues to show unprecedented growth, climbing 5 positions! pic.twitter.com/eMzzMYdDYD
He added that the Houthis continue to prevent oil shipments from entering the port at Hodeidah under UN supervision, in contravention of the truce, and have closed border crossings in Taiz which is affecting humanitarian aid efforts.
Al-Khayyal called on civil society to put pressure on the Houthis to adhere to the terms of the truce and engage in efforts to reach a comprehensive resolution to the conflict that achieves security and stability in Yemen.
He also congratulated Volker Turk, the UN’s under-secretary-general for policy, on his recent appointment as UN high commissioner for human rights and wished him success in the role.
Al-Khayyal heads a delegation from the Saudi Human Rights Commission that is taking part in the 51st session of the Human Rights Council, which began on Sept. 12 and continues until Oct. 7.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia supports plans for integration of culture as part of the global efforts to promote sustainability and development, the G20 heard on Tuesday.
The comments came from Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan during day three of a four-day meeting of G20 culture ministers in Borobudur, Indonesia.
Indonesia holds the presidency of the G20 this year. Prince Badr expressed his thanks and appreciation to his Indonesian counterpart, Nadiem Makarim, for the work the country has done in the G20’s cultural track, and to all the participants in the meeting. He encouraged them to continue discussing cultural matters in the context of development within the framework of the G20.
 
At the third #G20Indonesia Cultural Ministerial Meeting, HH @BadrFAlSaud emphasised the Kingdom’s support of plans to integrate culture in policies to achieve sustainable development goals as part of our belief in culture as a global public good.#SaudiMinistryOfCulture pic.twitter.com/gv772F6Lh7
 
He said that the Kingdom is proud to have organized the first meeting of G20 culture ministers during the Saudi presidency of the group in 2020, and thanked Indonesia for maintaining the momentum, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
“Based on our belief that culture is a global public good, the Kingdom supports plans to integrate culture in promoting sustainability and development,” the prince said. “It also supports all efforts to ensure the integration of culture with public policies to achieve sustainable development goals.
“The Kingdom affirms its commitment to enhancing the role of culture as an enabler, calls for a broader exploration of the benefits of the creative economy, and supports the mobilization of international resources to mainstream sustainable recovery.”
He added that the commitment of all G20 members to cooperation in the cultural sector will contribute to the achievement of their common goals.

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