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RIYADH: Two top Saudi science institutions have signed a deal to share facilities and boost research on food security.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and The National Research and Development Center for Sustainable Agriculture, also known as Estidamah, signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday.
The university’s vice president for research, Pierre Magistretti, said: “Since its foundation, KAUST has recognized food as a key research thrust for our faculty. Sustainable food security is one of the core global, regional and national challenges that KAUST has a mandate to solve.
“Through this agreement, we are creating a greatly enhanced resource for training the next generation of Saudi Arabia’s scientists in sustainable agriculture. The novel research supported by this collaboration will have an impact on Saudi Arabia’s agriculture sector and beyond.”
The cooperation will drive research efforts and student training to help improve Saudi Arabia’s sustainable agriculture.
The agreement also aims to intensify existing collaboration between Estidamah and KAUST in research to create sustainable planting systems for the Kingdom and the region, with a focus on strategic crops.
The deal will allow KAUST students and researchers to perform their experiments in Estidamah facilities, developing and executing combined research projects and organizing joint scientific events.
Abdulrahman Al-Saghir, general director of Estidamah, said cooperation was important to develop sustainable agriculture in the Kingdom.
This development is in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goal of food security alongside ecological balance.
PARIS: Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to France has participated in a seminar, organized by the French Institute of International Relations, on the Kingdom’s foreign policy, achievements, and challenges, Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.
Opening the seminar, institute founder and CEO Thierry de Montbrial commended the Kingdom’s role in the international arena and the developments and progress it is witnessing at all levels.
During the panel, ambassador Fahd bin Mayouf Al-Ruwaili underlined the importance of the recent official visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to France in enhancing Riyadh-Paris relations and joint partnerships.
Al-Ruwaili highlighted the Kingdom’s comprehensive development endeavor as part of the strategy outlined in the Saudi Vision 2030.
He also presented a briefing on the central pillars of the Kingdom’s foreign policy, international relations, and efforts to achieve peace and stability at the regional and international levels through its effective membership in international conventions and organizations.
He highlighted the Saudi role in the G20, where the Kingdom has submitted several initiatives to combat radicalism and terrorism, protect the environment, fight poverty and address debt crises.
Several ambassadors to France, political and economic figures, and journalists also attended the seminar.
RIYADH: A Saudi delegation is taking part in the fourth G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting, which began on Thursday in Bengaluru, India.
Mohammed Al-Tamimi, CEO of the Saudi Space Agency, is leading the Kingdom’s team at the two-day gathering, during which participants will discuss ways to enhance the role of the space economy and its tangible contributions to efforts to address global challenges and achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The delegates include representatives of space agencies and related organizations from G20 member states, along with invited guests from other countries and the heads of international and regional organizations.
Speaking during the meeting, Al-Tamimi said the spirit of cooperation and optimism that is entrenched in the annual gathering has become the shared trait of global space activities and endeavors. It is a trait that will continue to shape humanity’s long-term future in terms of how it makes use of the space sector and its applications, he added.
He also extended thanks to authorities in India and officials from the Indian Space Research Organization for hosting the important meeting.
The Kingdom is working to promote the cooperative goals of the meeting, in line with its commitments as a signatory to the Artemis Accords, which serve as a guide for sustainable civil space exploration, and its contributions to efforts to implement the practical aspects of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, Al-Tamimi said.
The annual meeting is one of the results of the Kingdom’s presidency of the G20 in 2020, during which it was placed on the group’s agenda for the first time in an effort to enhance space-related cooperation between countries to maximize the benefits of the space economy and the utilization of associated data to support sustainable development, food security and global health.
RIYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) signed on Thursday a joint cooperation agreement with the Charitable Health Society for Patient Care, also known as Enayah, to implement volunteer programs outside the Kingdom.
The agreement was signed at the center’s headquarters in Riyadh by Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, adviser to the royal court and KSrelief’s supervisor general, and Abdul Rahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Suwailim, chairman of the board of directors at Enayah.
The agreement is part of KSrelief’s relentless efforts to support volunteer programs in many beneficiary countries around the world and boost strategic partnerships with local bodies.
RIYADH: Saudi and Thai officials held talks on enhanced cooperation between their countries in efforts to combat corruption and ensure high standards of integrity in public life.
It came as Mazen Al-Kahmous, president of the Saudi Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, also known as Nazaha, welcomed a delegation led by Watcharapol Prasanrajkit, president of Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission.
During the meeting the participants reviewed initiatives implemented by both Nazaha and Thai authorities to promote the principles of transparency, crack down on corrupt practices and guarantee integrity.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha held a series of meetings, including with the Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Jin Zhuanglong, during his visit to Beijing, the ministry said on Thursday.
The meeting discussed expanding the technology partnership between the Kingdom and China to support the growth of the digital economy in the region, as well as the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution and the development of digital competencies in the Kingdom.
During his visit, Al-Swaha visited the Beem Company offices in Beijing, and met with the employees, following the establishment of the partnership between the private sectors in the two countries, which resulted in Beem launching the instant-messaging application during the LEAP Conference earlier this year, Saudi Press Agency reported.
These meetings come within the agenda of the high-level visit of the delegation to the digital economy, space, and innovation system, in light of Saudi-Chinese relations developments in recent years. They also reflect the strength of the two countries’ partnership, which is characterized by an accelerated pace reflecting the escalation of global opportunities and the development of technologies in various fields.