Riyadh Witnesses Completion of International Green Energy Alliance

 Officials at the signing ceremony. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Officials at the signing ceremony. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Riyadh Witnesses Completion of International Green Energy Alliance

 Officials at the signing ceremony. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Officials at the signing ceremony. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Riyadh witnessed on Sunday the signing of an agreement between the Global Green Energy Alliance and the Saudi Ministry of Investment, which seeks to adopt the next generation projects for sustainable development and green energy.  

The agreement aims to facilitate the access of the alliance members to the Saudi market, support green energy projects, and reinforce the Kingdom’s plan to reach carbon neutrality.  

The coalition includes US and Chinese non-governmental organizations that share economic and environmental goals, and seek to build a new model for a sustainable, low-carbon future. 

The coalition works to implement “a practical path rather than political solutions”, based on concrete economic and social benefits.  

The delegation of the Global Alliance for Green Energy provided the concerned authorities with a number of proposals that strengthen joint efforts to build a superior manufacturing base in Saudi Arabia and to take advantage of the country’s geographic location and multi-field talents.  

The members of the alliance are working on projects that cover advanced long-term energy storage, such as the Energy Vault project, which is currently being completed in China, on the coast of the Yellow Sea. The project manages 14 cities and five regions.  

Abdullah bin Zaid Al-Meleihi, Chairman of Excellence Holding Company - the local partner of the Global Alliance for Green Energy - explained that the alliance aims to attract a large number of Chinese industrial companies to the Kingdom, to manufacture green energy materials and products, and produce green energy for the operation of factories.  

He stressed that the US-Saudi delegation held several meetings with Saudi authorities, including the Public Investment Fund, the Ministry of Investment and Aramco, where the Excellence Holding Company organized and provided advice and ways to comply with the specifications specified in the policy documents recently issued by the Kingdom.  

According to Al-Meleihi, the meetings with the US-Chinese delegation reviewed ways to transform the idea of the Global Green Energy Alliance into a reality from Riyadh, and to enhance joint cooperation between members of the alliance and official authorities in the field of industry, green energy projects and zero carbon emissions. 



IMF Approves Third Review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 Bln Bailout

Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
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IMF Approves Third Review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 Bln Bailout

Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the third review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 billion bailout on Saturday but warned that the economy remains vulnerable.
In a statement, the global lender said it would release about $333 million, bringing total funding to around $1.3 billion, to the crisis-hit South Asian nation. It said signs of an economic recovery were emerging, Reuters reported.
In a note of caution, it said "the critical next steps are to complete the commercial debt restructuring, finalize bilateral agreements with official creditors along the lines of the accord with the Official Creditor Committee and implement the terms of the other agreements. This will help restore Sri Lanka's debt sustainability."
Cash-strapped Sri Lanka plunged into its worst financial crisis in more than seven decades in 2022 with a severe dollar shortage sending inflation soaring to 70%, its currency to record lows and its economy contracting by 7.3% during the worst of the fallout and by 2.3% last year.
"Maintaining macroeconomic stability and restoring debt sustainability are key to securing Sri Lanka's prosperity and require persevering with responsible fiscal policy," the IMF said.
The IMF bailout secured in March last year helped stabilize economic conditions. The rupee has risen 11.3% in recent months and inflation disappeared, with prices falling 0.8% last month.
The island nation's economy is expected to grow 4.4% this year, the first increase in three years, according to the World Bank.
However, Sri Lanka still needs to complete a $12.5 billion debt restructuring with bondholders, which President Anura Kumara Dissanayake aims to finalize in December.
Sri Lanka will enter into individual agreements with bilateral creditors including Japan, China and India needed to complete a $10 billion debt restructuring, Dissanayake said.
He won the presidency in September, and his leftist coalition won a record 159 seats in the 225-member parliament in a general election last week.