Saudi Arabia Urges Regional Partnerships to Advance Arab Water, Food Security

Saudi flag - File Photo/AAWSAT
Saudi flag - File Photo/AAWSAT
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Saudi Arabia Urges Regional Partnerships to Advance Arab Water, Food Security

Saudi flag - File Photo/AAWSAT
Saudi flag - File Photo/AAWSAT

Saudi Arabia emphasized the critical need to activate regional and international partnerships to develop innovative solutions for integrating the water and agriculture sectors in the Arab region, essential for enhancing water and food security and supporting the region's sustainable development goals, SPA reported.

This came during the Kingdom's participation in the third joint Arab Ministerial Meeting for Agriculture and Water, held in Cairo, Egypt.

The event was attended by ministers, deputy ministers from the region, and representatives from relevant regional and international organizations.

Saudi Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture for Agriculture Suliman Al-Khateeb detailed the Kingdom's success in achieving precise alignment between water policies and national food security plans.

This strategic shift has resulted in improved local agricultural production, surpassing 16 million tons, a 7% compound annual growth rate for the sector's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the past five years, a significant 52% reduction in the use of non-renewable water in agriculture, and an estimated 17% increase in the irrigation efficiency index compared to 2016.

Al-Khateeb stressed the need for urgent regional measures to enhance water and food security, including using innovative financing policies to localize modern agricultural technologies, improving irrigation efficiency, and expanding climate-smart agriculture. He also called for strengthening rural economies and empowering women and youth.

He urged joint action to harmonize Arab water and food security risk management through interconnected early warning systems.

He called for accelerating the governance of legislation to support Arab agricultural integration, transparent free trade, and environmentally friendly agricultural investments.



UAE Envoy Says Aid to Gaza to be Scaled Up

Aid donated by the UAE for the people of Gaza is stored in a warehouse at the port of Limassol, Cyprus November 7, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou P
Aid donated by the UAE for the people of Gaza is stored in a warehouse at the port of Limassol, Cyprus November 7, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou P
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UAE Envoy Says Aid to Gaza to be Scaled Up

Aid donated by the UAE for the people of Gaza is stored in a warehouse at the port of Limassol, Cyprus November 7, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou P
Aid donated by the UAE for the people of Gaza is stored in a warehouse at the port of Limassol, Cyprus November 7, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou P

The United Arab Emirates is preparing to increase aid deliveries into Gaza, an envoy said on Friday, saying a sea corridor from Cyprus was essential alongside land and air access.

Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh said a maritime route channelling pre-screened aid from the East Mediterranean island was a vital lifeline to the people of Gaza. The UAE has partnered with Cyprus in supplying large quantities of aid to the Palestinian enclave, devastated by a two-year war, Reuters reported.

"Maintaining multiple entry points into Gaza remains incredibly important," Nusseibeh said after an inspection of aid accumulating at the port of Limassol in Cyprus.

"As this plan moves forward, access to Gaza by land, air and sea is going to remain critical," she told reporters.

Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed a month ago to a first phase of a plan presented by US President Donald Trump. It paused a devastating two-year war in Gaza triggered by a cross-border attack by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, and secured a deal to release Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

Despite the ceasefire, far too little aid was reaching Gaza, humanitarian agencies said on Tuesday.

Some 22,000 tons of pre-screened aid has been dispatched from Cyprus under the Amalthea Initiative launched last year. Some of it reached Gaza directly via a short-lived temporary pier set up by the US last year, while other shipments have been dispatched to the port of Ashdod in Israel.


Saudi Leadership Offers Condolences to Philippines President over Typhoon Victims

Joint photo of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud - File Photo
Joint photo of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud - File Photo
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Saudi Leadership Offers Condolences to Philippines President over Typhoon Victims

Joint photo of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud - File Photo
Joint photo of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud - File Photo

The Saudi leadership extended condolences to the President of the Philippines over the victims of Typhoon Kalmaegi, that left tens dead after it struck the central part of the country.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud sent a cable of condolences to Philippines President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. expressing his sincere condolences and sympathy, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, sent a similar cable to Marcos Jr.

He expressed his condolences to the president, the families of the deceased, and the friendly people of the Philippines, wishing for the safe return of the missing and speedy recovery for the injured.


Saudi, US Forces Hold Joint Military Exercise

The drill aims to enhance operational readiness, exchange expertise, and strengthen integration in conducting joint operations across diverse combat environments. Photo: Saudi Defense Ministry
The drill aims to enhance operational readiness, exchange expertise, and strengthen integration in conducting joint operations across diverse combat environments. Photo: Saudi Defense Ministry
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Saudi, US Forces Hold Joint Military Exercise

The drill aims to enhance operational readiness, exchange expertise, and strengthen integration in conducting joint operations across diverse combat environments. Photo: Saudi Defense Ministry
The drill aims to enhance operational readiness, exchange expertise, and strengthen integration in conducting joint operations across diverse combat environments. Photo: Saudi Defense Ministry

Saudi Arabia’s Royal Land Forces and the US Army have kicked off “Quincy-1,” a joint military exercise, at Fort Irwin, a major training base in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California.

The drill aims to enhance operational readiness, exchange expertise, and strengthen integration in conducting joint operations across diverse combat environments.

Fort Irwin, one of the largest military training facilities in the United States, spans approximately 1,200 square miles in the heart of the Mojave Desert.