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Saudi Arabia, France to Enhance Cooperation in Electricity, Nuclear Energy Sectors

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman met with Agnes Pannier-Runacher, Minister for Energy Transition of the French Republic (SPA)
Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman met with Agnes Pannier-Runacher, Minister for Energy Transition of the French Republic (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia, France to Enhance Cooperation in Electricity, Nuclear Energy Sectors

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman met with Agnes Pannier-Runacher, Minister for Energy Transition of the French Republic (SPA)
Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman met with Agnes Pannier-Runacher, Minister for Energy Transition of the French Republic (SPA)

Saudi Arabia and France have agreed on a collaborative partnership to boost cooperation in the electricity sector.

This includes sharing knowledge on renewable energy generation, electric interconnection initiatives, and promoting private sector involvement in various aspects of electricity projects such as generation, transmission, distribution, storage, and network automation technologies.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman met with Agnes Pannier-Runacher, Minister for Energy Transition of the French Republic, and issued a joint communiqué.

According to the communiqué, both countries have agreed to engage in joint efforts to enhance energy efficiency, and to promote their cooperation in the field of nuclear energy in a peaceful and safe framework, the management of radioactive waste and nuclear applications, and the development of human capabilities.

Addressing climate change and promoting secure, reliable, affordable, and sustainable supplies of energy are shared strategic priorities of Saudi Arabia and France.

Saudi Arabia and France also acknowledged that energy is one of the main pillars of their mutual long-term partnership, and the two countries affirmed their commitments by signing an MoU to cooperate in the Field of Energy on 2 February 2023.

Additionally, both countries recognized the importance of advancing the implementation of the UN Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement in accordance with the principles, objectives, and goals defined therein, including pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C.

Moreover, the two countries recognize that clean hydrogen is an essential fuel to reach the shared objective of promoting sustainable economic development while mitigating the impact of climate change.

Both countries agreed to cooperate on advancing climate technologies and solutions including carbon capture utilization and storage for hard-to-abate sectors such as cement, aviation, marine, and petrochemicals, among others.

Saudi Arabia aims to become the leading exporter of hydrogen and electricity produced from low-emission resources globally, capitalizing on its ability to produce hydrogen and electricity produced from low-emission resources at a competitive cost.

The Kingdom has the necessary resources of renewable energy, natural gas, and carbon sinks, to export hydrogen in addition to its strategic location with proximity to major global demand centers.

 

 

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Gulf

Saudi Crown Prince Receives Written Message from Prime Minister of Japan

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan Akazawa Ryosei meet on Wednesday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan Akazawa Ryosei meet on Wednesday. (SPA)
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Saudi Crown Prince Receives Written Message from Prime Minister of Japan

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan Akazawa Ryosei meet on Wednesday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan Akazawa Ryosei meet on Wednesday. (SPA)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received a written message from Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi.

The message was received by Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah during a meeting with Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan Akazawa Ryosei.

During the meeting, the officials reviewed the strategic relations between their countries and discussed ways to boost joint cooperation, particularly in the fields of economy and energy resources.

They also addressed regional developments and joint efforts regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing the vital importance of the freedom and safety of international waterways to preserve regional and global security and stability, and to ensure the continued smooth flow of global energy supplies.

Gulf

Saudi FM, Iranian Counterpart Discuss Regional Developments

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
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Saudi FM, Iranian Counterpart Discuss Regional Developments

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.

During the call, they discussed the latest regional developments and the efforts to maintain the region's security and stability, SPA said.

Gulf

US-Gulf Draft UN Resolution to Hold Iran Accountable over Hormuz Closure

A UN Security Council session held on March 12 (Reuters)
A UN Security Council session held on March 12 (Reuters)
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US-Gulf Draft UN Resolution to Hold Iran Accountable over Hormuz Closure

A UN Security Council session held on March 12 (Reuters)
A UN Security Council session held on March 12 (Reuters)

The United States and Bahrain have begun drafting a UN Security Council resolution aimed at holding Iran accountable for closing the Strait of Hormuz and advancing international efforts to reopen it to commercial shipping.

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, speaking during a phone press conference on Monday, said the draft states that the Security Council strongly condemns repeated attacks and threats by Iran against commercial vessels, as well as actions aimed at obstructing lawful transit through the Strait of Hormuz. These include the laying of naval mines and the imposition of illegal fees on ships.

The proposal determines that such actions constitute a threat to international peace and security, opening the possibility of placing the resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and, consequently, the potential adoption of enforcement measures at a later stage.

It affirms the right of all ships and aircraft to transit the Strait of Hormuz without unlawful interference, in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

It further calls on Iran to immediately cease all attacks or threats directed against commercial shipping, as well as any attempts to obstruct or impede freedom of navigation.

A key provision stipulates that Iran must disclose the number of mines it has laid and their precise locations in and around the Strait of Hormuz, and work toward their removal. The draft also calls on Tehran to refrain from interfering in international demining efforts.

Humanitarian corridor

Another clause asks Iran to cooperate with the United Nations in establishing a humanitarian corridor in the Strait of Hormuz, aimed at facilitating the flow of essential goods, including food and fertilizers, which the text says have been disrupted by recent developments in the region.

It also includes a prohibition on any UN member state assisting Iran in closing the strait or restricting transit through it. At the same time, it affirms the right of states to defend their vessels against attacks, in accordance with international law.

This is the latest diplomatic effort by Washington and Manama after China and Russia vetoed a similar resolution hours before a temporary ceasefire was announced in early April.

Waltz said negotiations on the draft would take place this week, adding that it remains unclear whether the resolution will include an enforcement mechanism to secure navigation in the strait.

He revealed that Bahrain is contributing to drafting the text, with input from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, in a way that would require Iran to halt attacks on commercial vessels and attempts to impose transit fees, as well as to stop laying naval mines and disclose their locations.

Waltz underlined that the draft is narrower in scope than the previous unsuccessful proposal and comes amid a ceasefire with Iran.

The United States and Gulf countries are continuing negotiations this week and are seeking swift adoption of the resolution, provided consensus among the countries concerned is maintained.

Waltz framed the issue not only as part of a confrontation with Iran but also as a matter related to international law and the freedom of global trade, stressing that no country has the right to blackmail global trade.

A previous draft resolution blocked by Russia and China had sought authorization for the use of defensive force to protect navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and free it from Iranian attacks. It also would have allowed states, individually or through voluntary multinational maritime partnerships, to use all necessary and proportionate defensive means, applying to the strait and adjacent waters to secure passage and deter attempts to close, obstruct or otherwise interfere in any way with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passes.