Saudi Crown Prince’s Gulf Tour: A New Start for Cooperation

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi - Reuters
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi - Reuters
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Saudi Crown Prince’s Gulf Tour: A New Start for Cooperation

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi - Reuters
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi - Reuters

Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, is gearing up to host the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) summit next Tuesday. The summit’s final communique will likely fall in line with the positions that were launched in the Gulf tour of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudi Crown Prince's tour, which kickstarted in Muscat and ended in Kuwait, has worked to consolidate Gulf views regarding regional and international matters. It also reaffirmed Saudi keenness to preserve unity within the GCC and expand strategic partnerships.

The final statements on the five stops of the tour confirmed the common points agreed upon by the leaders of the six countries to enhance the security and stability of the Gulf region, develop their economies, and achieve Gulf visions.

For years, Saudi Arabia has been keen to establish and strengthen bilateral, regional councils in the Gulf region. This chiefly aimed to develop bilateral relations and raise the level of cooperation in all fields, according to regular and sustainable institutional work in the political, economic, security, military, investment, developmental and cultural fields.

The five concluding statements on the Crown Prince’s tour emphasized the importance of the joint coordination councils with Saudi Arabia.

Muscat had praised the Saudi-Omani Coordination Council for expanding the scope of bilateral relations and achieving integration in all fields to serve the interests of the two countries. It is noteworthy that the Saudi-Omani Coordination Council was established during Sultan Haitham bin Tariq’s visit to Saudi Arabia in July 2021.

The sixth meeting of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council was co-chaired by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have signed several key agreements following talks held between King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Saudi Crown Prince.

The agreements were based on the outcomes of the second Saudi-Bahraini Coordination Council meeting.



Saudi Arabia’s Nazaha Arrests Corruption Suspects Linked to Hajj 2024

Nazaha urged the public to report any financial or administrative corruption through its official channels to protect public funds (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Nazaha urged the public to report any financial or administrative corruption through its official channels to protect public funds (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia’s Nazaha Arrests Corruption Suspects Linked to Hajj 2024

Nazaha urged the public to report any financial or administrative corruption through its official channels to protect public funds (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Nazaha urged the public to report any financial or administrative corruption through its official channels to protect public funds (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia’s Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) has detained 155 individuals, including citizens and residents, following investigations into 382 suspects in various corruption cases, some linked to the Hajj season.

The Nazaha said in a statement on its X account on Monday that its officials carried out a total of 924 inspection raids during the last month of June.

The Nazaha initiated a number of criminal and administrative cases following the oversight rounds in June, which resulted in the investigation of cases against 382 officials accused of various corruption charges.

These officials are from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Transport and Logistics, and Ministry of Culture, in addition to the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority.

Out of the 155 detained, some were released on bail. They face charges of bribery, abuse of power, forgery, and money laundering. Nazaha is finalizing legal procedures to refer these cases to court.

The authority urged the public to report any financial or administrative corruption through its official channels to protect public funds.

This year’s Hajj season saw a rise in fraudulent campaigns, with 160 compared to 83 last year. These fake campaigns led to the deaths of 1,079 unregistered pilgrims due to heat exhaustion while walking long distances without proper transportation and accommodations.

Authorities deported over 256,000 visitors with non-Hajj visas and sent back 250,400 non-residents from Makkah.

Despite continuous warnings from Saudi authorities about the importance of legal Hajj pilgrimages and adhering to medical advice to cope with high temperatures and heat stress, Health Minister Fahd Al-Jalajel said authorities managed a significant number of affected individuals, some of whom are still receiving care.