Saudi Culture Minister to Head Board of Directors of Commission to Develop Taif

Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan. (SPA)
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Saudi Culture Minister to Head Board of Directors of Commission to Develop Taif

Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan. (SPA)

A Royal Order was issued to establish the board of directors of the new commission to develop Saudi Arabia's Taif province.

Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan will head the board, which will include Prince Saud bin Nahar bin Saud, Princess Haifa bint Muhammad bin Saud bin Khalid, Ibrahim bin Muhammad Al-Sultan, Abdulaziz bin Ismail Trabzoni, Dr. Khaled Omar Azzam, and a representative from the Saudi Public Investment Fund.

The commission will work on coordinating efforts of concerned sectors in developing Taif. It will draft policies, plans, visions and studies, promote investment, develop various sectors and improve the quality of life, taking advantage of the massive tourism, natural, heritage and cultural potential in the province.

Taif is seen as the eastern gate to the Makkah region. It is a meeting point of several regions in the Kingdom, boasting several historic and heritage landmarks dating back centuries.

Last week, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz issued a royal order to establish the Taif commission after reviewing proposals submitted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs.



Syria’s Leader Meets with Bahraini Diplomatic Delegation

The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
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Syria’s Leader Meets with Bahraini Diplomatic Delegation

The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
The leader of Syria's new administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani in Damascus, Syria, January 8, 2025. (Bahrain News Agency/Handout via Reuters)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa received a delegation from Bahrain on Wednesday and met with the Bahraini foreign minister, state media reported.

The visit was the latest in a flurry of diplomatic overtures by Arab countries to Syria’s new leaders after they overthrew former President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning rebel offensive.

Like other Gulf countries, Bahrain had cut off diplomatic ties with Syria under Assad’s rule during the Syrian civil war, but it reopened its embassy in Damascus in 2018 and gradually restored ties with the Assad government.

Bahrain is the current head of the Arab summit, and days after Assad’s ouster it had sent a message to al-Sharaa offering its cooperation with the new authorities and saying, “We look forward to Syria regaining its authentic role in the Arab League.”