Saudi Arabia Bars Travel to Indonesia over Pandemic

Locals wearing protective masks, to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), stand in line to receive assistance from Indonesian president in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 16, 2021. (Reuters)
Locals wearing protective masks, to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), stand in line to receive assistance from Indonesian president in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 16, 2021. (Reuters)
TT

Saudi Arabia Bars Travel to Indonesia over Pandemic

Locals wearing protective masks, to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), stand in line to receive assistance from Indonesian president in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 16, 2021. (Reuters)
Locals wearing protective masks, to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), stand in line to receive assistance from Indonesian president in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 16, 2021. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday it was barring its citizens from traveling to Indonesia over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak there.

An official source at the Interior Ministry said the decision is based on the Kingdom’s keenness on the safety of its citizens, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

It urged Saudis in Indonesia to exercise caution and avoid areas with high infection rates.

Indonesia has one of the world's worst coronavirus outbreaks due to a rapid spread of the Delta variant, reporting around 1,000 deaths from the respiratory disease each day in the past week, including a new record on Wednesday of 1,383 fatalities.



Saudi Defense Minister Meets with French Ambassador

Prince Khalid bin Salman met on Monday with French Ambassador to the Kingdom Ludovic Pouille. Photo: Saudi Ministry of Defense
Prince Khalid bin Salman met on Monday with French Ambassador to the Kingdom Ludovic Pouille. Photo: Saudi Ministry of Defense
TT

Saudi Defense Minister Meets with French Ambassador

Prince Khalid bin Salman met on Monday with French Ambassador to the Kingdom Ludovic Pouille. Photo: Saudi Ministry of Defense
Prince Khalid bin Salman met on Monday with French Ambassador to the Kingdom Ludovic Pouille. Photo: Saudi Ministry of Defense

Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz met on Monday with French Ambassador to the Kingdom Ludovic Pouille.

During the meeting in Riyadh, they reviewed relations between the two friendly countries and several issues of mutual interest.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Abdulrahman bin Mohammed bin Ayyaf, Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, Assistant Minister of Defense for Executive Affairs Khaled bin Hussein Al-Biyari, and Office of the Minister of Defense Director General Hisham bin Abdulaziz bin Saif.