UAE, Russia Ink Several MoUs, Agreements during Putin Visit 

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan pose for a photo during the official welcome ceremony in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan pose for a photo during the official welcome ceremony in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
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UAE, Russia Ink Several MoUs, Agreements during Putin Visit 

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan pose for a photo during the official welcome ceremony in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan pose for a photo during the official welcome ceremony in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

The United Arab Emirates and Russia have signed agreements and MoUs on investment and the environment to develop the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said that it has agreed to sell a stake in the Ghasha gas project to Lukoil, and also signed a strategic framework agreement with Gazprom Neft on upstream, downstream and technology cooperation.

The agreements were signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to the UAE.

The Russian and UAE energy ministries also signed an MoU that envisages creating a working group on energy that will develop concrete proposals for joint energy projects.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that promising areas for cooperation between Russia and the UAE include LNG and nuclear and electric power, according to a ministry statement.

More so, the sovereign funds of Russia and the UAE are expected to sign 10 investment deals worth over 1.3 billion US dollars.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said Tuesday that the deals with its UAE counterpart, Mubadala Investment Company, will cover areas such as high technology, healthcare, oil and gas, logistics, industrial production, and artificial intelligence.

During Putin's visit, the two sovereign funds will also organize a meeting of business leaders from the two countries on expanding cooperation and implementing joint projects and prepare an exhibition on investment cooperation, the RDIF said in a statement.

During six years of successful cooperation between the two sides, investments worth more than 2 billion dollars have been made and approved for more than 45 projects, it added.

Russia and the UAE are successfully developing partnerships in trade, energy, industry, tourism, and even in specialized fields such as training astronauts, the statement quoted RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev as saying.

Hazza Al Mansouri became the first UAE astronaut to take part in a mission at the International Space Station (ISS) from Sept. 25 to Oct. 3.



Makkah Deputy Governor Carries Out Field Inspection of Grand Mosque Readiness for Ramadan 

Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz is seen during his inspection tour at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. (SPA)
Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz is seen during his inspection tour at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. (SPA)
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Makkah Deputy Governor Carries Out Field Inspection of Grand Mosque Readiness for Ramadan 

Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz is seen during his inspection tour at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. (SPA)
Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz is seen during his inspection tour at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. (SPA)

Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz inspected the readiness of the Grand Mosque and its facilities, conducting a field tour to review operational and service preparations for receiving worshippers and Umrah performers during the holy month of Ramadan, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

Prince Saud was briefed on the operational plans implemented by the relevant authorities, including crowd management mechanisms, service enhancements, and facility preparations aimed at ensuring smooth movement and enhancing comfort and safety levels for visitors to the Grand Mosque, particularly during peak times.

He reviewed developmental initiatives and smart services supporting the operational system, notably electric mobility carts for transporting the elderly, persons with disabilities, and those in need of assistance within the Grand Mosque.

The tour also included an overview of the efforts of guidance teams deployed across the corridors and courtyards of the Grand Mosque, providing multilingual assistance and direction.

Prince Saud reviewed the interactive map and digital mobility platform, which allows visitors to plan their routes in advance and identify service locations, entrances and exits, and less crowded pathways.

He was briefed on crowd management systems, including the visitor density sensor platform that measures human density in real time, and the Tawaf and Sa’i crowd status display service, which allows worshippers to select appropriate times to perform rituals with ease. Models of the modern multilingual guidance system were also reviewed.

Prince Saud also visited the Smart Engineering Command and Control Center, which serves as an advanced central platform linking operational systems and monitoring performance in real time, boosting operational efficiency and raising readiness levels during Ramadan.


Saudi Leadership Provides Two Donations Worth SAR150 Mln Through Jood Eskan Platform

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. (SPA)
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. (SPA)
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Saudi Leadership Provides Two Donations Worth SAR150 Mln Through Jood Eskan Platform

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. (SPA)
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. (SPA)

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, have provided two generous donations amounting to SAR150 million through the Jood Eskan platform.

The move aligns with the leadership's commitment to supporting all national efforts and initiatives to provide suitable housing for deserving families.

Minister of Municipalities and Housing and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Developmental Housing Foundation (Sakan) Majed Al-Hogail expressed his deep gratitude to the leadership for its unwavering support to all national efforts and initiatives aimed at providing suitable housing for eligible families across the Kingdom.

He noted the effective impact of previous generous donations in achieving the goals of housing development, and motivating individuals and institutions to donate through the Jood Eskan platform that is based on community giving that helps provide decent housing and boosts stability and quality of life for deserving families.


Saudi Crown Prince Receives Message on Bilateral Ties from President of Kazakhstan

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA file)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA file)
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Saudi Crown Prince Receives Message on Bilateral Ties from President of Kazakhstan

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA file)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA file)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received on Tuesday a written message from President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on bilateral relations between their two countries.

The message was received by Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah during a meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Yermek Kosherbayev in Riyadh.