Saudi Govt Renews Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi Govt Renews Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)

The Saudi government reiterated on Tuesday the Kingdom’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in Riyadh.

The government also called holding to account those responsible for the “violations and brutal, inhumane acts committed by the Israeli occupying forces against unarmed civilians, healthcare facilities, and relief teams.”

The cabinet was briefed on the recent talks held by Saudi officials with representatives of a number of countries, as well as the message Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received from the president of Kenya.

The cabinet commended the positive outcome of the SAUDI-CARICOM Summit, acknowledging its significance to bolstering relations between these countries at both multilateral and bilateral levels, boosting cooperation in various fields and strengthening efforts to combat climate change, preserve the environment, and support sustainable clean energy initiatives.

The cabinet highlighted that the summits hosted by the Kingdom so far this year are testimony to its esteemed status and global recognition. They reflect Saudi commitment to enhancing relationships with other nations and international blocs, as well as its crucial role in promoting security, stability and prosperity in the region, and the world as a whole.

The cabinet deemed the re-election of Saudi Arabia as a member of UNESCO's Executive Council for the 2023-2027 term a recognition of its efforts in international cooperation and of its endeavors to attain its strategic goals and play a vital role in joint action.

The cabinet reviewed the most significant developments in the national economy and the drop in inflation for the fifth consecutive month, which reflects the robustness of the economy and the effectiveness of actions aimed at addressing the global increase of inflation.

It also applauded the new discoveries of natural gas in the Eastern Region and the Empty Quarter by the Saudi Aramco, which will contribute to boosting the reserves of resources and bolster Saudi Arabia's leading status in the international energy sector.



Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia: 260,000 Pagers Exported in Two Years

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia: 260,000 Pagers Exported in Two Years

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Taiwan is investigating who is responsible for modifying the pagers that were turned into explosives in the hands of the Lebanese people, including members of Hezbollah.

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang told Asharq Al-Awsat that 260,000 pagers were exported from his country between 2022 and 2024, and 16 percent of them were sent to the United States and Europe.

He expressed his regret that the pagers were planted with explosives that were used in the attack in Lebanon last month, clarifying that the devices were not directly exported from Taiwan to Lebanon.

He explained that the components of the device are made of material that is not liable to explode.

Apollo Gold, the Taiwanese company that exported the pagers between 2022 and 2024, has never received any complaints that its devices have caused harm or exploded.

The attack in Lebanon has raised several questions and they are being probed by authorities in Taiwan, he went on to say.

One thing is for certain, the devices were not harmful in the shape they were exported from the country, stressed Chang.

Asked about whether the attack may harm Taiwan’s economy, he replied that his country’s industry sector has a strong reputation that will be difficult to undermine given the trust it has from clients.

The size of the sector and Taiwan’s investments cannot be measured by a small number of pagers, as they only make up a mere fraction in the country’s trade relations with countries all over the world, he stressed.

Separately, Chang revealed that Taiwan was considering cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the chip industry, saying he was optimistic over the broad potential for cooperation in the technology sector.

There are no limits to the cooperation between them, he added.

Taiwan constantly wants to maintain the relations and discuss opportunities for joint investments, he stated.

Taiwan was among the first countries to leap to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in all fields to help the Kingdom achieve its Vision 2030 that is spearheaded by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Chang said.