Saudi Arabia Reiterates Support for Efforts to Achieve Regional, Int’l Security and Stability

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 Arabia Reiterates Support for Efforts to Achieve Regional, Int’l Security and Stability

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 reiterated on Tuesday its support for efforts aimed at achieving security, stability and sustainable development in the region and world.

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

The ministers reviewed the latest regional and international developments. The government also reviewed the outcomes of the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council.

The meeting demonstrated the two countries' commitment to strengthening relations and pursuing shared goals in various sectors, to the benefit of their people.

The cabinet was briefed on the telephone calls Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, held with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

During the calls, Crown Prince Mohammed underlined the Kingdom's commitment to unifying Arab and Islamic efforts to support the Palestinian people, stressing the need to exert all efforts to halt the Israeli escalation and violations.

The cabinet was also briefed on the message sent by the Crown Prince to the prime minister of the Kingdom of Tonga and on his meeting with the president of the European Council.

Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said the cabinet reviewed the outcomes of the several international meetings the Kingdom attended as part of its commitment to increasing cooperation and coordination with brotherly and friendly nations, and advancing multilateral efforts to achieve progress and prosperity.

Al-Dossary emphasized that the 50th anniversary of the Saudi Fund for Development marks a significant milestone that highlights the fund's expanding global role, numerous accomplishments, and invaluable contributions to fostering development and prosperity in less developed and developing countries.

Domestically, the cabinet deemed the two Royal Decrees reconstituting the Council of Senior Scholars and the Shura Council as further evidence of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' unwavering support for the Council of Senior Scholars and his commitment to selecting Shura Council members from among highly qualified individuals with diverse expertise who can continue to serve religion and the nation.



Qatar PM Says Gaza Ceasefire Talks Make Some Progress

FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
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Qatar PM Says Gaza Ceasefire Talks Make Some Progress

FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo

Qatar's prime minister said on Sunday that efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza have made some progress but an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war remains elusive.

"We have seen on Thursday a bit of progress compared to other meetings yet we need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That's the key point of the entire negotiations," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, Reuters reported.

Mossad Director David Barnea traveled to Doha on Thursday to meet Sheikh Mohammed amid efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza, Axios reported last week.

Sheikh Mohammed didn't say which elements of the ceasefire talks had progressed in recent days, but said Hamas and Israel remained at odds over the ultimate goal of negotiations.

He said the militant group is willing to return all remaining Israeli hostages if Israel ends the war in Gaza. But Israel wants Hamas to release the remaining hostages without offering a clear vision on ending the war, he said.

"When you don't have a common objective, a common goal between the parties, I believe the opportunities (to end the war) become very thin," Sheikh Mohammed said at a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Fidan said talks Turkish officials have held with Hamas had shown the group would be more open to an agreement that goes beyond a ceasefire in Gaza and aims for a lasting solution to the crisis with Israel, including a two-state solution.

Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a January ceasefire collapsed, saying it would keep up pressure on Hamas until it frees the remaining hostages still held in the enclave. Up to 24 of them are believed to still be alive.

The Gaza war started after Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack. Since then, Israel's offensive on the enclave killed more than 51,400, according to local health officials.