Saudi Arabia Committed to Supporting Development, Food Security

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan. (File photo: Reuters)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan. (File photo: Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia Committed to Supporting Development, Food Security

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan. (File photo: Reuters)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan. (File photo: Reuters)

Saudi Arabia stressed on Friday the significance of advancing future cooperation to achieve collective prosperity.

The Kingdom affirmed its commitment to cooperating with international partners to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and intensify global efforts to enhance food and energy security amid recurring crises and supply-chain issues.

Saudi Arabia is keen to develop future cooperation with the BRICS group to achieve collective prosperity, said Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan at the ministerial meeting of Friends of BRICS in South Africa’s Cape Town

He added that the Kingdom aims to advance cooperation with BRICS by benefiting from the capabilities that the Kingdom and BRICS countries possess.

“The Kingdom remains the BRICS group’s largest commercial partner in the Middle East. The total value of bilateral trade with the countries of the BRICS group increased from $81 billion in 2017 to $128 billion in 2021 and exceeded $160 billion in 2022,” he revealed.

Saudi Arabia shares basic values with the BRICS countries such as that relations between countries are based on the principles of respect for sovereignty, non-interference, and adherence to international law, the existence of multilateral frameworks, and collective action as reference points to face common challenges, he went on to say.

Prince Faisal reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment to work with international partners to achieve the UN SDGs by 2030.

The Kingdom is also committed to intensifying global efforts to enhance food and energy security amid recurring crises and supply-chain issues, the FM said, noting that Saudi Arabia plays a significant role in the field of humanitarian and development aid and is among the top ten donors to low- and middle-income countries.

The Saudi delegation in Cape Town included the Undersecretary of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Affairs Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Rassi and the Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Republic of South Africa, Sultan al-Anqari.



Gulf Markets Decline Amid Escalating Geopolitical Tensions in the Region

Traders monitor screens displaying stock information on the Qatar Stock Exchange in Doha. (Reuters)
Traders monitor screens displaying stock information on the Qatar Stock Exchange in Doha. (Reuters)
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Gulf Markets Decline Amid Escalating Geopolitical Tensions in the Region

Traders monitor screens displaying stock information on the Qatar Stock Exchange in Doha. (Reuters)
Traders monitor screens displaying stock information on the Qatar Stock Exchange in Doha. (Reuters)

Most stock markets in the Gulf region closed lower on Sunday, amid fears that increasing geopolitical tensions could lead to a broader conflict in the region.

Israeli airstrikes shook southern Beirut on Friday night and into the early hours of Sunday, marking the heaviest bombardment of the Lebanese capital since Israel escalated its campaign against Hezbollah last month.

The Saudi index fell by 1.6%, hitting its lowest level since September 11, driven by declines in Al-Tayseer (TALCO) Group shares, which dropped 5.1%, and Al Rajhi Bank, which fell by 4.8%. Meanwhile, Aramco, the heaviest-weighted stock on the index, slipped by 0.18% to reach SAR 27.

The Qatari index also lost 0.5%, as Qatar Fuel Company shares fell by 2.3%. The Kuwaiti stock market index declined by 1%, and Bahrain’s general index fell by 0.13%.

On the other hand, some Arab markets managed to recover from the losses they incurred last week. The Egyptian stock market index rose by 1.24%, while the Casablanca index posted a slight gain of 0.09%, and the Muscat index increased by 0.16%.

Similar events in April led to a wave of selling of stocks and other high-risk assets, but markets rebounded within days as concerns over the escalation of the conflict subsided.