Riyadh, Washington Stress Importance of Calming Tensions in the Region

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. (SPA)
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. (SPA)
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Riyadh, Washington Stress Importance of Calming Tensions in the Region

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. (SPA)
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. (SPA)

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman held telephone talks on Monday with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on the latest regional and international developments.

They stressed the importance of easing the tensions to achieve stability and security.

They also discussed the strategic relations that bind Riyadh and Washington and aspects of cooperation between their ministries.

Also on Monday, Prince Khalid received in Riyadh Algerian chief of staff First Lieutenant General Said Chanegriha.

They discussed bilateral relations between their countries, cooperation in the defense field, and regional and international issues.

Prince Khalid also received his Italian Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto. 

The ministers discussed the partnership between Saudi Arabia and Italy in defense and military industries, exploring opportunities for development that serve mutual interests. 

They reviewed the latest regional and international developments. 

Prince Khalid later held talks with Pakistani Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Lt. Gen. Sahir Shamshad.

They discussed strategic relations between their countries, defense cooperation and ways to bolster it, as well as issues of common interest.



Qatar PM Hopes Palestinian Authority Will Return to Gaza When War Ends

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
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Qatar PM Hopes Palestinian Authority Will Return to Gaza When War Ends

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 21, 2025. (AFP)

Qatar's Prime Minister said in Davos on Tuesday he hoped the Palestinian Authority would return to play a governing role in Gaza once the war with Israel comes to an end.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Switzerland, two days after the ceasefire Qatar helped broker came into effect in Gaza, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani cautioned that Gazans -- and not any other country -- should dictate the way the enclave will be governed.

"We hope to see the PA back in Gaza. We hope to see a government that will really address the issues of the people over there. And there is a long way to go with Gaza and the destruction," he said.

How Gaza will be governed after the war was not directly addressed in the deal between Israel and Hamas movement that led to an immediate ceasefire and hostage releases after nearly 15 months of talks mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US.

Israel has rejected any governing role for Hamas, which ran Gaza before the war, but it has been almost equally opposed to rule by the Palestinian Authority, the body set up under the Oslo interim peace accords three decades ago that has limited governing power in the West Bank.

The PA, dominated by the Fatah faction created by former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, faces opposition from rival faction Hamas, which drove the PA out of Gaza in 2007 after a brief war.