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Saudi Arabia Contributes to Space Sector

The Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology described the astronauts as “the heroes of the nation." Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology described the astronauts as “the heroes of the nation." Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia Contributes to Space Sector

The Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology described the astronauts as “the heroes of the nation." Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology described the astronauts as “the heroes of the nation." Asharq Al-Awsat

As Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday sending the first Saudi astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) in May, the Saudi space sector has imposed its presence on the international map, making Riyadh a regional leader in this field.

Astronauts Rayana Bernawi and Ali Al-Qarni will join the Axiom Space crew (AX-2) in order to take advantage of the promising opportunities offered by the space industries and to contribute to scientific research that serves humanity in a number of priority areas, such as health, sustainability and space technology.

Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said: “With the support and empowerment of the Crown Prince, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Space… the first Saudi female astronaut, Rayana Bernawi, and astronaut Ali Al-Qarni, [will conduct] a historical scientific mission to the International Space Station to empower people through research and innovations.”

The minister described the astronauts as “the heroes of the nation.”

Saudi Arabia’s contribution to the space sector includes steady and rapid steps in all directions. The Kingdom has succeeded in graduating qualified Saudi cadres in the global space industry.

Dr. Hussein Al-Zahrani, expert in the aviation and space sector, told Asharq Al-Awsat that sending the first Saudi woman to space underlines the Kingdom’s support for the sector, on the one hand, and its endeavor to empower women and highlight their important contribution to society.

Al-Zahrani added that Saudi Arabia has been a pioneer in the field of space, since the establishment of the Saudi Space Commission in 2018.

Today, the Kingdom is increasing its capabilities, as has built terrestrial space stations and used them in many fields.

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US Treasury Targets Russia's Gazprombank with New Sanctions

FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
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US Treasury Targets Russia's Gazprombank with New Sanctions

FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

The United States imposed new sanctions on Russia's Gazprombank on Thursday, the Treasury Department said, as President Joe Biden steps up actions to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine before he leaves office in January.
The move, which wields the department's most powerful sanctions tool, effectively kicks Gazprombank out of the US banking system, bans its trade with Americans and freezes its US assets, Reuters reported.
Gazprombank is one of Russia's largest banks and is partially owned by Kremlin-owned gas company Gazprom. Since Russia's invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has been urging the US to impose more sanctions on the bank, which receives payments for natural gas from Gazprom's customers in Europe.
The fresh sanctions come days after the Biden administration allowed Kyiv to use US ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory. On Tuesday, Ukraine fired the weapons, the longest range missiles Washington has supplied for such attacks on Russia, on the war's 1,000th day.
The Treasury also imposed sanctions on 50 small-to-medium Russian banks to curtail the country's connections to the international financial system and prevent it from abusing it to pay for technology and equipment needed for the war. It warned that foreign financial institutions that maintain correspondent relationships with the targeted banks "entails significant sanctions risk."
"This sweeping action will make it harder for the Kremlin to evade US sanctions and fund and equip its military," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. "We will continue to take decisive steps against any financial channels Russia uses to support its illegal and unprovoked war in Ukraine."
Gazprombank said Washington's latest move would not affect its operations. The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
Along with the sanctions, Treasury also issued two new general licenses authorizing US entities to wind down transactions involving Gazprombank, among other financial institutions, and to take steps to divest from debt or equity issued by Gazprombank.
Gazprombank is a conduit for Russia to purchase military materiel in its war against Ukraine, the Treasury said. The Russian government also uses the bank to pay its soldiers, including for combat bonuses, and to compensate the families of its soldiers killed in the war.
The administration believes the new sanctions improve Ukraine's position on the battlefield and ability to achieve a just peace, a source familiar with the matter said.
COLLATERAL IMPACT
While Gazprombank has been on the administration's radar for years, it has been seen as a last resort because of its focus on energy and the desire to avoid collateral impact on Europe, a Washington-based trade lawyer said.
"I think that the current administration is trying to put as much pressure and add as many sanctions as possible prior to January 20th to make it harder for the next administration to unwind," said the lawyer, Douglas Jacobson.
Officials in Slovakia and Hungary said they were studying the impacts of the new US sanctions.
Trump would have the power to remove the sanctions, which were imposed under an executive order by Biden, if he wants to take a different stance, Jacobson said.
After Russia's invasion in 2022, the Treasury placed debt and equity restrictions on 13 Russian firms, including Gazprombank, Sberbank and the Russian Agricultural Bank.
The US Treasury has also worked to provide Ukraine with funds from windfall proceeds of frozen Russian assets.