Saudi Crown Prince, Brazilian President Hold Talks, Witness Signing of Bilateral MoU

Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Federative Republic of Brazil at the Royal Court at Al-Yamamah palace. (SPA)
Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Federative Republic of Brazil at the Royal Court at Al-Yamamah palace. (SPA)
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Saudi Crown Prince, Brazilian President Hold Talks, Witness Signing of Bilateral MoU

Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Federative Republic of Brazil at the Royal Court at Al-Yamamah palace. (SPA)
Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Federative Republic of Brazil at the Royal Court at Al-Yamamah palace. (SPA)

Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Federative Republic of Brazil at the Royal Court at Al-Yamamah palace, SPA said on Tuesday.
An official welcome ceremony was held for the Brazilian president.
The Crown Prince extended a warm welcome to the Brazilian President at the beginning of their meeting and wished him and his accompanying delegation a pleasant stay.
The Brazilian president expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the warm hospitality and gracious reception received.
The two men reviewed aspects of relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Federative Republic of Brazil and discussed joint coordination to enhance cooperation in various fields.
They explored promising investment opportunities in both nations to serve mutual interests. They also addressed the regional and international developments, as well as issues of common interest and the efforts directed towards them.
Attending the talks were Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Energy; Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State and Cabinet Member; Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Sports; Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior; Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Minister of the National Guard; and Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Defense.
The meeting was also attended by the Saudi Minister of State, Cabinet's Member and National Security Advisor, Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban; Minister of Commerce, Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi; Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhli; Minister of Investment, Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih; Minister of Finance, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan; and the Saudi Ambassador to Brazil, Faisal bin Ibrahim Ghulam.
From the Brazilian side, the attendees included President of the National Congress Rodrigo Otavio Soares Pacheco; Chief of Staff of the Presidential Office Rui Costa; Minister of Finance Fernando Haddad; Minister of Ports and Airports Silvio Costa Filho; Minister of Agriculture Carlos Favaro; Minister of Mines and Energy Alexandre Silveira; and various other senior Brazilian officials.
Afterwards, the Crown Prince and the Brazilian President witnessed the signing ceremony of a bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the field of energy between the Saudi Ministry of Energy and the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy.
Prince Abdulaziz signed the MoU from the Saudi side while Silveira signed from the Brazilian side.



Saudi Govt Rejects Any Attempts to Undermine Somalia’s Sovereignty

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chairs the Cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chairs the Cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi Govt Rejects Any Attempts to Undermine Somalia’s Sovereignty

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

The Saudi government stressed on Tuesday the Kingdom’s rejection of any attempts “to create parallel entities that undermine Somalia's unity, territorial integrity, or national sovereignty.”

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

The Cabinet welcomed the outcomes of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's extraordinary meeting on Somalia in Jeddah that stressed the Kingdom’s stance on Somalia.

The Cabinet reviewed recent high-level discussions between the Kingdom and various countries, focusing on regional developments, ongoing efforts to anchor security and peace, and the Kingdom's commitment to multilateral initiatives that drive global stability and foster collective responses to shared challenges.

The Cabinet reiterated the centrality of the Palestinian cause, stressing the Kingdom's unwavering support for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. These efforts aim to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and to establish an independent state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Cabinet commended the successful conclusion of the Gulf Shield 2026 joint military exercise, hosted by Saudi Arabia. Featuring the air and air defense forces of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the GCC Unified Military Command, the exercise underscored the commitment to boosting regional defense cooperation and strengthening collective military readiness.

The Cabinet reviewed several high-profile economic events hosted by the Kingdom, specifically highlighting the Saudi-Japan Ministerial Investment Forum and the Saudi-Canadian Business and Investment Forum. The summits resulted in numerous memoranda of understanding across strategic sectors, including space, cybersecurity, ICT, manufacturing, education, finance, water, and agriculture.


Hadhramaut Figures: Saudi Arabia's Historic Stance Paves Way for New Phase of Stability

Sheikh Essam Al-Kathiri, Secretary-General of the Hadhramaut National Council. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Sheikh Essam Al-Kathiri, Secretary-General of the Hadhramaut National Council. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Hadhramaut Figures: Saudi Arabia's Historic Stance Paves Way for New Phase of Stability

Sheikh Essam Al-Kathiri, Secretary-General of the Hadhramaut National Council. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Sheikh Essam Al-Kathiri, Secretary-General of the Hadhramaut National Council. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Several prominent figures from Yemen's Hadhramaut praised on Monday's Saudi Arabia's stance on the governorate that prevented it from sliding towards deeper unrest and instability.

The figures told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Kingdom's position was not limited to tackling the current crisis, but paves the way for a new phase of stability and development as parties prepare for a Riyadh conference on the southern issue.

The conference will mark a turning point in "rearranging" the political scene in the South, they remarked.

Hadhramaut is at a pivotal moment that demands united ranks that will come up with a unified vision that preserves the governorate's interests and allows it to play an effective role in any future political process, they added

Sheikh Essam Al-Kathiri, Secretary-General of the Hadhramaut National Council, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Saudi Arabia's "historic" stance and determination over the December 3 developments prevented the governorate from slipping into chaos.

Hadhramaut may have escaped the crisis, but it has embarked on a new path towards progress and development, he stated.

The call for intra-south dialogue is a sign that a secure and stable future is on the horizon, he noted.

"We are already seeing these signs with Saudi Arabia's brotherly support," he remarked.

Another member of the council, Al-Hakam Abdullah al-Nahdi, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the support offered by Saudi Arabia, led by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, will be "etched in Hadhramaut's memory and relayed to generations to come."

"Hadhramaut represents a natural strategic depth to the Kingdom and its security is indivisible from Saudi Arabia's," he added.

"Were it not for Saudi Arabia's stance, we would have been mired in chaos," he went on to say.

He said he was optimistic about the future as long as Saudi Arabia was by Hadhramaut's side, calling on the people to "seize this opportunity by rallying together and shunning division."


Somalia Cancels All UAE Deals

A meeting of the Somali government. (Somali National News Agency)
A meeting of the Somali government. (Somali National News Agency)
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Somalia Cancels All UAE Deals

A meeting of the Somali government. (Somali National News Agency)
A meeting of the Somali government. (Somali National News Agency)

Somalia's government said on Monday that it was annulling all agreements with the United Arab Emirates, including port deals and defense and ‌security cooperation, ‌citing ‌evidence ⁠the UAE had ‌undermined its national sovereignty. 

"The Council of Ministers has annulled all agreements concluded with the United Arab Emirates, ⁠including those involving federal governmental ‌institutions, affiliated entities, and ‍regional administrations ‍operating within the territory ‍of the Federal Republic of Somalia," a statement from Somalia's Council of Ministers said. 

"This decision applies to all agreements ⁠and partnerships relating to the ports of Berbera, Bosaso, and Kismayo ... (and) bilateral security and defense cooperation agreements," the statement added.