Kuwait Starts Covid-19 Jabs as Gulf Rolls out Mass Vaccinations

Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Saturday was the first person in the Gulf nation to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. (AFP)
Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Saturday was the first person in the Gulf nation to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. (AFP)
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Kuwait Starts Covid-19 Jabs as Gulf Rolls out Mass Vaccinations

Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Saturday was the first person in the Gulf nation to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. (AFP)
Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Saturday was the first person in the Gulf nation to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. (AFP)

Kuwait began coronavirus vaccinations on Thursday, following several other Gulf states in rolling out a mass inoculation campaign.

"This vaccine is safe and has been approved by many countries," said Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, who was the first to receive the jab, state media reported.

Kuwait, which has officially confirmed more than 148,000 coronavirus cases including 924 deaths, received the first 150,000 doses of the vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia, with more than 360,000 recorded cases including 6,148 deaths, began its campaign with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on December 17.

In Bahrain, which has recorded more than 90,000 cases including 350 deaths, vaccinations continued on Thursday. It has approved both the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and another developed by Chinese firm Sinopharm.

Officials in the capital Manama said that nearly 40,000 people have already received the vaccine.

In the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi began vaccinations on December 14 after approving the Sinopharm vaccine, while Dubai began its campaign using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday.

The UAE has confirmed nearly 200,000 cases, including 645 deaths.

Meanwhile, Oman, with more than 128,000 recorded cases, 1,491 of them fatal, is to launch its vaccination campaign on Sunday.

Qatar, which has confirmed more than 142,000 cases including 243 deaths, launched a vaccination campaign on Wednesday.



Saudi FM Meets with Key Figures from Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies to Discuss Cooperation 

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets with the officials in Riyadh. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets with the officials in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi FM Meets with Key Figures from Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies to Discuss Cooperation 

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets with the officials in Riyadh. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets with the officials in Riyadh. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah met in Riyadh with Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, along with members of the Oxford Centre’s board of trustees.

During the meeting, they reviewed areas of cooperation in intellectual and cultural initiatives aimed at fostering dialogue, promoting tolerance, coexistence, and mutual understanding, and supporting efforts to advance moderation and centrism, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.


Saudi, Malaysian FMs Discuss Bilateral Ties 

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (EPA file)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (EPA file)
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Saudi, Malaysian FMs Discuss Bilateral Ties 

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (EPA file)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (EPA file)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held telephone talks on Tuesday with his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad Haji Hasan.

They discussed bilateral relations between their countries, the latest developments, and issues of common interest.


Saudi Crown Prince Receives Letter from President of Tanzania

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
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Saudi Crown Prince Receives Letter from President of Tanzania

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

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received on Tuesday a letter from Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan on bilateral relations between their countries.

The message was received by Saudi Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji during a meeting in Riyadh with Tanzanian Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Mahmoud Thabit Kombo.

During the meeting, the diplomats reviewed relations between their countries and ways to strengthen and develop them in all fields.