Kuwait Sends Official Invitations to Gulf Summit

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May joins other leaders for a family photo at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Manama, Bahrain December 7, 2016. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May joins other leaders for a family photo at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Manama, Bahrain December 7, 2016. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
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Kuwait Sends Official Invitations to Gulf Summit

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May joins other leaders for a family photo at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Manama, Bahrain December 7, 2016. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May joins other leaders for a family photo at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Manama, Bahrain December 7, 2016. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

Kuwait on Thursday raised expectations for the planned 38th GCC summit after officially inviting Qatar and Oman to attend the summit scheduled for December 5-6.

Kuwaiti sources, organizing the Gulf summit, said official directives had asked them to work on completing all the procedures, on the basis that the summit would be held on December 5 and 6.

The sources noted that the acceleration of efforts to hold the summit suggested Doha’s acceptance of the conditions imposed by the Arab Anti-Terrorism Quartet, which includes Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.

They also stressed that Kuwait would not have progressed on this step had it not received positive signals to end the Gulf crisis.

The same sources pointed to the visit of Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Hamad Al Sabah to Riyadh, where he delivered a message to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques from Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah, and which came two days after the Emir of Kuwait received the Qatari Emir’s brothers, Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad and Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad, who conveyed a verbal message from Sheikh Tamim to the Emir of Kuwait.

On Thursday, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Qatar Hafez Al-Ajmi delivered an official invitation to Sheikh Tamim to attend the summit.

The Kuwaiti news agency reported that Al-Ajmi handed the Emir of Qatar a written message from the Emir of Kuwait, inviting him to participate in the Gulf Summit, which will be held in Kuwait City next week.

Kuwait also announced that Oman’s Sultan Qaboos has received an official invitation to attend the summit.

It is noteworthy that the last Gulf Summit (37th) was held south of the Bahraini capital, Manama, in the presence of British Prime Minister Theresa Mai, who announced a project of strategic partnership between the UK and the Gulf, at the economic, political, defense and security levels.



GASTAT Announces 1,673,230 Pilgrims for Hajj

GASTAT announces total of 1,673,230 pilgrims are performing Hajj 1446 AH - SPA
GASTAT announces total of 1,673,230 pilgrims are performing Hajj 1446 AH - SPA
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GASTAT Announces 1,673,230 Pilgrims for Hajj

GASTAT announces total of 1,673,230 pilgrims are performing Hajj 1446 AH - SPA
GASTAT announces total of 1,673,230 pilgrims are performing Hajj 1446 AH - SPA

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) announced on Thursday that a total of 1,673,230 pilgrims are performing Hajj.

Of these, 1,506,576 arrived from abroad, while 166,654 are from within the Kingdom, including both citizens and residents.

According to a GASTAT press release, male pilgrims, both internal and external, totaled 877,841, while female pilgrims numbered 795,389. GASTAT also revealed that 1,435,017 pilgrims arrived in the Kingdom via airports, 66,465 through land border crossings, and 5,094 via seaports.

GASTAT's methodology for these statistics relies primarily on administrative records from the Ministry of Interior. This approach, which has been consistently adopted over the past five years, aims to provide high-accuracy and reliable register-based data for Hajj statistics, utilizing a standardized model with several key components.

As the Kingdom's official statistical authority, GASTAT is the exclusive provider of official statistics in Saudi Arabia and is entrusted with overseeing all national statistical activities, including technical supervision, conducting field surveys and research, data analysis, and managing the documentation, preservation, and tabulation of statistical information across all sectors of life in the Kingdom.

On this occasion, GASTAT President Dr. Fahad Aldossari extended his sincere appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their unwavering support and comprehensive care provided to the pilgrims.