GCC Secretary-General Meets with NATO Military Committee Chairman

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi - SPA
Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi - SPA
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GCC Secretary-General Meets with NATO Military Committee Chairman

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi - SPA
Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi - SPA

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi met with Chairman of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Military Committee Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone.

The meeting came on the sidelines of 61st Munich Security Conference in the Federal Republic of Germany.
According to SPA, the two sides reviewed the latest regional and international developments, focusing particularly on the situation in Gaza and the wider region.
The GCC Secretary-General stressed the need to intensify international efforts to end the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid, reaffirming the GCC's commitment to regional stability and international efforts to resolve humanitarian crises.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee emphasized the important role of the GCC states in maintaining regional and international security and stability, praising their status in regional and international forums.



GASTAT: Number of Umrah Performers Rose by 31% in Q4 2024

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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GASTAT: Number of Umrah Performers Rose by 31% in Q4 2024

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), in its report on Umrah statistics for the fourth quarter of 2024, revealed on Thursday that the number of Umrah performers increased by 31% compared to the same quarter in 2023.

The report showed that males constituted about 53% of the Umrah performers, while females accounted for 47%. Saudi nationals comprised 4.5% of the total, with the Makkah Region recording the highest number of domestic Umrah performers.
The report also indicated a 26.2% increase in international Umrah performers compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Of these, 64.7% arrived with an Umrah visa. December saw the highest number of international Umrah performers at 38.2%, while November recorded the highest percentage of domestic Umrah performers completing the ritual for one time, representing 34% of the total.
Umrah statistics have been issued quarterly since 2024, detailing the numbers and percentages of domestic and international Umrah performers based on data from the Pilgrim Experience Program, along with approved statistical models.