King Salman: Combating Coronavirus Pandemic, its Impact is Our Top Priority

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)
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King Salman: Combating Coronavirus Pandemic, its Impact is Our Top Priority

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz. (SPA)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz reiterated on Tuesday his assertion that combating the novel coronavirus is “our top priority.”

In a speech delivered on his behalf by Human Resources Minister Ahmed al-Rajhi at the launch of the L20 Workers Communication Group in the G20, he said: “Confronting the pandemic’s health, social and economic impact is our top priority.”

He stressed that the G20 was focusing on several issues, most significant of which is international cooperation to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus.

The vaccine must be fairly distributed and provided to everyone, while taking into account the needs of the most impoverished, he added.

King Salman stated that protecting lives and preserving the jobs of individuals and their livelihoods is among the G20’s main priorities.

The G20 is intensifying efforts to strengthen social security to make it more comprehensive, he revealed.

Moreover, he said he was looking forward to the upcoming G20 summit that will be hosted in Riyadh. He hoped that it would lead to solutions and initiatives that would bolster the role of the G20 in the united international response to the pandemic.

He remarked that the “future of business amid the technological developments and demographic changes demands the establishment of new jobs and a shift in our understanding on the nature of work and the need to remain abreast changes.”



Saudi Arabia Offers Condolences to Azerbaijan after Plane Crash

A handout photo made available by the press service of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of a passenger plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, 25 December 2024. (EPA/Kazakhstan Emergencies Ministry handout)
A handout photo made available by the press service of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of a passenger plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, 25 December 2024. (EPA/Kazakhstan Emergencies Ministry handout)
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Saudi Arabia Offers Condolences to Azerbaijan after Plane Crash

A handout photo made available by the press service of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of a passenger plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, 25 December 2024. (EPA/Kazakhstan Emergencies Ministry handout)
A handout photo made available by the press service of the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of a passenger plane near Aktau, Kazakhstan, 25 December 2024. (EPA/Kazakhstan Emergencies Ministry handout)

Saudi Arabia offered on Wednesday its condolences to Azerbaijan following the plane crash in Kazakhstan.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the Kingdom expressed its condolences to the families of the deceased and to the government and people of Azerbaijan. It wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The Muslim World League (MWL) also extended its condolences to the government and people of Azerbaijan following the crash.

An Embraer passenger jet flying from Azerbaijan to Russia crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing 38 people while 29 survivors received hospital treatment, Kazakh authorities said.

Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 had flown hundreds of miles off its scheduled route to crash on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea, after what Russia's aviation watchdog said was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike. But an aviation expert suggested that cause seemed unlikely.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said according to information he had received, the plane changed course due to poor weather, but he added the cause of the crash was unknown and must be fully investigated.