King Salman before UN: Pandemic Showed Need for Int’l Solidarity to Confront Common Challenges

King Salman addresses the UN General Assembly. (SPA)
King Salman addresses the UN General Assembly. (SPA)
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King Salman before UN: Pandemic Showed Need for Int’l Solidarity to Confront Common Challenges

King Salman addresses the UN General Assembly. (SPA)
King Salman addresses the UN General Assembly. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia stressed on Wednesday the world is facing a tremendous challenge in the form of COVID-19 pandemic.

The health, humanitarian, and economic repercussions of the pandemic demand that “we stand united to confront common challenges in the world,” declared Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz before the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The Kingdom, as President of the G20, continues to promote global response efforts to confront this pandemic and its impact, he noted, while highlighting Riyadh’s pledge earlier this year of $500 million to fight COVID-19 and reinforce emergency preparedness and responses.

On the regional and international level, it supports a policy that relies on respect for international laws and principles, and continues to work on achieving security, stability, and prosperity, while promoting political solutions to conflicts and combating extremism in all of its forms and manifestations, he stated.

“My country, ever since the foundation of this organization, has been in the forefront among the nations working to achieve international peace and security. It has been consistently working to mediate and reach peaceful solutions to disputes, as well as seeking to prevent conflict and support security, stability, development, and prosperity,” King Salman said.

“However, the Middle East has been afflicted with major security and political challenges that undermine the security of its peoples and the stability of its countries.”

“Our region has been suffering for many decades by attempts of the forces of extremism and chaos, which seek to impose their malign views and policies in order to hijack these countries' present and future, paying no heed to the aspirations of the peoples of the region for development, prosperity, and peace,” he noted.

“In the Kingdom, we choose a path for the future through our Vision 2030, which aspires to create a robust economy and a community which interacts with its surrounding and contributes actively to the progress and civilization of humankind,” he continued.

'Appeasement does not deter Iran'

“The Kingdom's hands were extended to Iran in peace with a positive and open attitude over the past decades, but to no avail. Saudi Arabia received several of Iran's presidents and other senior officials, among the Kingdom's efforts to seek ways to build relations based on good neighborliness and mutual respect,” he stressed.

“The Kingdom welcomed the international efforts to deal with Iran's nuclear program, but time and again, the entire world witnessed how the Iranian regime exploited these efforts in order to intensify its expansionist activates, create its terrorist networks, and use terrorism, and in the process squandering the resources and wealth of the Iranian people for the purpose of its expansionist projects which produced nothing but chaos, extremism and sectarianism,” King Salman lamented.

“The Iranian regime, in line with its hostile attitude, targeted oil facilities in the Kingdom last year in blatant violation of international laws. By doing so, it violated international peace and security and proved its disregard for the stability of the global economy and the security of oil supplies to the international markets,” he noted.

“The Iranian regime also continues, through its proxies, to target the Kingdom, launching, to date, over 300 ballistic missiles and more than 400 armed drones in flagrant violation to UN Security Council resolutions 2216 and 2231,” he said. “Our experience with the Iranian regime has taught us that partial solutions and appeasement did not stop its threats to international peace and security.”

“A comprehensive solution and a firm international position are required to ensure fundamental solutions to the Iranian regime's attempt to obtain weapons of mass destructions, and its ballistic missile program, and its interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and its sponsorship of terrorism,” demanded King Salman.

“The Iranian regime interfered in Yemen by supporting the coup carried out by its proxy, the Houthi militia, against the legitimate government. The coup is a threat to the security of the countries of the region and the sea lanes vital to the global economy. Furthermore, the Houthis impeded the flow of humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people,” he added.

“The Kingdom will not hesitate to defend its national security, nor will it abandon the fraternal people of Yemen until they regain their complete sovereignty and independence from Iranian hegemony. The Kingdom will continue to provide humanitarian support for the people of Yemen, and it will continue to support the efforts of the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for Yemen in accord with the Gulf initiative, the outcomes of the national dialogue, and resolution 2216,” he stressed.

'Terrorist Hezbollah must disarm'

“We also stand by the people of Lebanon who are experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the Beirut port, which occurred as a result of the hegemony of Hezbollah, a terrorist organization affiliated with Iran, over the decision-making process in Lebanon due to its weapons,” said King Salman.

“This led to obstruction the constitutional state institutions in Lebanon. In order for the Lebanese people to achieve their aspirations of security, stability and prosperity, this terrorist organization must be disarmed,” he demanded.

“Peace in the Middle East is our strategic option. Our duty is to spare no effort to work together towards achieving a bright future where peace, stability, prosperity, and coexistence among all the peoples prevail. The Kingdom supports all efforts to advance the peace process,” he continued.

“The 2002 Arab peace initiative provides the basis for a comprehensive and just solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict that ensures that the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights, starting with establishing their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he said.

“We support the efforts of the current US administration to achieve peace in the Middle East by bringing the Palestinians and the Israelis to the negotiation table to reach a fair and comprehensive agreement,” he added.



Saudi Arabia Expands Digital Health System for Hajj Pilgrims

Muslims perform Tawaf in the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, June 3, 2025. (SPA)
Muslims perform Tawaf in the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, June 3, 2025. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Expands Digital Health System for Hajj Pilgrims

Muslims perform Tawaf in the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, June 3, 2025. (SPA)
Muslims perform Tawaf in the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, June 3, 2025. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry said it has stepped up efforts this year to expand digital health services as part of a broader strategy to harness advanced technology and ensure safe and efficient medical care for pilgrims during the Hajj.

The ministry said preparations included strengthening digital infrastructure and deploying smart solutions to improve timely access to healthcare, aiming to deliver a safe and healthy pilgrimage for all.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Assistant Deputy Minister for Planning at the Ministry of Health, Eng. Yazeed Alotaibi highlighted a range of advanced digital solutions the ministry has developed, including the implementation of the “Electronic Health Record” system across all medical facilities in the holy sites.

The system allows for seamless, real-time connectivity between healthcare centers, speeding up diagnosis and patient transfers while enhancing medical response readiness in coordination with the command and control center.

Alotaibi added that services on the “Sehhaty” app have been upgraded to offer around-the-clock virtual medical consultations, alongside the 937 unified call center.

He said virtual clinics have also been activated in partnership with the virtual health hospital, enabling patients to receive specialized care remotely without the need to travel, easing pressure on field facilities and improving pilgrims’ access to medical services at any time.

AI integration

On the use of emerging technologies, Alotaibi said the Health Ministry has “extensively integrated artificial intelligence tools into its digital systems.”

These tools are being used to analyze medical conversations and convert them into digital records, while also suggesting accurate diagnoses, boosting the speed and quality of clinical decision-making.

AI is also employed to interpret medical images and identify critical cases that require urgent intervention.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry has rolled out a series of cutting-edge technologies to strengthen medical services for pilgrims during this year’s Hajj, including the use of drones, artificial intelligence, and cloud infrastructure.

Alotaibi said the ministry is deploying drone technology to deliver medicines and medical supplies swiftly to high-traffic areas, calling it “a fast and efficient solution” to meet urgent healthcare demands.

Cloud infrastructure has also been activated in health data centers to boost system efficiency and accelerate data sharing among relevant authorities, he added.

Digital health passport

Among other innovations, Alotaibi said the ministry has launched a “Digital Health Passport” in collaboration with Malaysia, Oman, and Indonesia. The initiative allows early access to pilgrims’ health status, allowing personalized care and streamlining medical procedures when needed.

On Monday, Health Minister Fahad Al-Jalajel inaugurated two key initiatives to support medical supply delivery using helicopters and drones.

These systems are designed to cut delivery times for medicines in high-density zones across the holy sites from 90 to just 6 minutes, enhancing emergency response capabilities.

Fahad Al-Buthi, CEO of supply chain and operations at NUPCO, a Saudi healthcare logistics company, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the drone program was launched in coordination with national authorities.

He said pilot tests showed the drone system could slash delivery time from 90 minutes to just six, a move expected to significantly improve access to critical supplies during peak Hajj periods.