Hajj and Umrah Services Conference Kicks off on Monday under Patronage of King Salman

Pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Monday, June 26, 2023. (AP)
Pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Monday, June 26, 2023. (AP)
TT

Hajj and Umrah Services Conference Kicks off on Monday under Patronage of King Salman

Pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Monday, June 26, 2023. (AP)
Pilgrims circumambulate around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Monday, June 26, 2023. (AP)

Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region, Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, will inaugurate in Jeddah on Monday the Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition 2024.

The event is being organized by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in partnership with the Pilgrim Experience Program - a program under the Saudi Vision 2030.

It will run through January 11.

The conference will unite individuals and businesses from the Hajj and Umrah sector in Saudi Arabia and over 80 countries worldwide. It aims to present innovative solutions, products, services, and projects that mirror the sector's development in Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, said the conference will provide ample opportunities for the business sector to enhance pilgrims' experiences.

He stressed the Saudi government's commitment to improving visitor and pilgrim services globally by introducing innovative technologies and services aimed at facilitating rituals and elevating service quality.

Dr. Al-Rabiah will engage in a ministerial dialogue session alongside senior officials to spotlight the Kingdom's endeavors in enhancing services for participants in the Pilgrim Experience Program.

The concurrent exhibition will showcase over 200 exhibitors from government, private, non-profit, entrepreneurial, and innovative sectors. This year's exhibition is expected to attract over 100,000 visitors.



Syria’s Leader Meets with Bahraini Diplomatic Delegation

The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
TT

Syria’s Leader Meets with Bahraini Diplomatic Delegation

The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa received a delegation from Bahrain on Wednesday and met with the Bahraini foreign minister, state media reported.

The visit was the latest in a flurry of diplomatic overtures by Arab countries to Syria’s new leaders after they overthrew former President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning rebel offensive.

Like other Gulf countries, Bahrain had cut off diplomatic ties with Syria under Assad’s rule during the Syrian civil war, but it reopened its embassy in Damascus in 2018 and gradually restored ties with the Assad government.

Bahrain is the current head of the Arab summit, and days after Assad’s ouster it had sent a message to al-Sharaa offering its cooperation with the new authorities and saying, “We look forward to Syria regaining its authentic role in the Arab League.”