Latest World News: Interviews

Microsoft Saudi Head Affirms Kingdom Entering AI Execution Phase

Interviews Saudi Arabia shifts from AI pilots to live deployment in key sectors (Shutterstock)

Microsoft Saudi Head Affirms Kingdom Entering AI Execution Phase

Riyadh’s hosting of the Microsoft AI Tour this week delivered a headline with concrete weight: customers will be able to run cloud workloads from a local Azure…

Nassim Ramadan (Riyadh)
Interviews Guido Crosetto said Rome and Riyadh are working to support the success of the ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran (Italian Ministry of Defense).

Italian Defense Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Relations with Saudi Arabia at an Unprecedented Strategic Strength

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said relations between Rome and Riyadh have reached an unprecedented level of strategic strength, noting that the two…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Interviews Sheikh Amr bin Habrish, First Deputy Governor of Hadhramaut (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Bin Habrish to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hadhramaut on Threshold of New Era

After nearly 500 days spent in the mountains and highlands, Sheikh Amr bin Habrish, First Deputy Governor of Hadhramaut and commander of the Hadhramaut…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Yemen)
Interviews President of Madagascar Michael Randrianirina (Presidency)

President of Madagascar to Asharq Al-Awsat: Three-Pillar Economic Plan to Revive the Country

President of Madagascar Michael Randrianirina said his country views Saudi Arabia as its “main partner” in the phase of “refoundation” and in building a new…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Interviews Naim Yazbeck, President of Microsoft for the Middle East and Africa (Microsoft) 

Microsoft President: Saudi Arabia is Moving from Exporting Oil to Exporting Artificial Intelligence

As Saudi Arabia accelerates its national transformation under Vision 2030, the region’s technology landscape is undergoing a decisive shift. For the first time…

Nassim Ramadan (London)

Interviews Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta

Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta: Wagner is Fighting in Sudan

A prominent leader in the Sudanese army, Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta, said that the army fully controls all the provinces of the country, with the…

Interviews Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (Getty Images)

Chinese FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Beijing-Riyadh Relationship Based on Modern Foundations

China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang has emphasized that his country’s approach to its relationship with Saudi Arabia is based on contemporary foundations. He…

Interviews South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Deng Dau

South Sudan Foreign Minister Stresses Continuous Efforts to Stop the War

South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Deng Dau warned against the expansion of the war in Sudan, which he said directly affects his country in terms of security,…

Interviews Bahsani: Yemen’s Presidential Council will Seek to Achieve Stability in North, South

Bahsani: Yemen’s Presidential Council will Seek to Achieve Stability in North, South

Major General Faraj Salmin al-Bahsani, member of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, confirmed that the council will lead the stage in the North and…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Interviews Khalid Youssif to Asharq Al-Awsat: Collapse of Sudanese State Possible if War Persists

Khalid Youssif to Asharq Al-Awsat: Collapse of Sudanese State Possible if War Persists

Khalid Omer Youssif, one of Sudan’s notable opposition figures and former minister, characterized the ongoing conflict in the North African country as a futile…

Ahmed Younes (Khartoum)
Interviews Siddiq Haftar to Asharq Al-Awsat: My Visit to Khartoum Is Not Political

Siddiq Haftar to Asharq Al-Awsat: My Visit to Khartoum Is Not Political

Siddiq Haftar, the eldest son of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army, confirmed that his visit to Sudan, where he met with…

Khaled Mahmoud (Cairo)
Interviews Libya’s Bashagha to Asharq Al-Awsat: I Will Remain in My Post Until Elections Are Held

Libya’s Bashagha to Asharq Al-Awsat: I Will Remain in My Post Until Elections Are Held

Head of Libya’s government of stability, Fathi Bashagha announced that he would remain in his position until “all Libyan parties” agree on electoral laws,…

Interviews Bathily to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Support Any Agreement that Leads Libya to Recovery

Bathily to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Support Any Agreement that Leads Libya to Recovery

Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Abdoulaye Bathily stressed that his…

Jamal Jawhar (Cairo)
Interviews Abu Al-Ragheb: King Abdullah Warned Bush against Opening Gates of Hell in Iraq

Abu Al-Ragheb: King Abdullah Warned Bush against Opening Gates of Hell in Iraq

Former Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Abu Al-Ragheb revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat, and for the first time, the behind-the-scenes dealings related to the build up…

Mohammed Khair al-Rawashdeh (Amman)
Interviews Former French Ambassador to Asharq Al-Awsat: Washington Accused Us of Lying about WMD in Iraq

Former French Ambassador to Asharq Al-Awsat: Washington Accused Us of Lying about WMD in Iraq

Former French Ambassador Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, who recently published a remarkable book entitled "The Others Don't Think Like Us," experienced the US…

Michel Abou Najm (Paris)
Interviews Barzani to Asharq Al-Awsat: At Secret Meeting, Americans Informed us of Decision to Oust Saddam

Barzani to Asharq Al-Awsat: At Secret Meeting, Americans Informed us of Decision to Oust Saddam

Saddam Hussein’s shadow often looms large over my meetings with Masoud Barzani. My career has allowed me to follow the thrilling and painful tales of both…

Ghassan Charbel (Erbil)
Interviews Amr Moussa to Asharq Al-Awsat: The Wound has not Healed, Political Miscalculation Led to Iraq's Fall

Amr Moussa to Asharq Al-Awsat: The Wound has not Healed, Political Miscalculation Led to Iraq's Fall

Meeting the veteran diplomat, Amr Moussa, always clarifies historical events, especially that for decades, he was a maker and a witness to the course of Arab…

Interviews Al-Kadhimi to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi-Iranian Talks Were Frank, Comprehensive, Fruitful

Al-Kadhimi to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi-Iranian Talks Were Frank, Comprehensive, Fruitful

Saudi-Iranian talks conducted in Baghdad were frank, comprehensive, and fruitful, former Iraqi prime minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi told Asharq Al-Awsat days…

Interviews Lebanon: Mikati Says Parties Rejecting Cabinet Meetings Better Elect a President

Lebanon: Mikati Says Parties Rejecting Cabinet Meetings Better Elect a President

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati hailed the latest development in the Saudi-Iranian relations, stressing that Lebanon supports any "consensual"…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Interviews Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim: Politicians’ Performance Destroys Lebanon

Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim: Politicians’ Performance Destroys Lebanon

A week after leaving his post as the head of Lebanon’s General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat about his departure, refusing to…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Interviews Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs: US Regional Presence Will Not Diminish, We Have Strong Security Partnerships

Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs: US Regional Presence Will Not Diminish, We Have Strong Security Partnerships

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf defended Washington’s policy in the Middle East and stressed that her country realizes…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Interviews The spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry in the Middle East and North Africa, Dennis Kumetat. (German Information Center)

German Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: We Care About the Path of Reform in Saudi Arabia, Ready to Support it

The spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry in the Middle East and North Africa, Dennis Kumetat, stressed that Germany and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia share…

Fathiya al-Dakhakhni (Cairo)
Interviews A general view shows a damaged mosque in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in opposition-held al-Maland village, in Idlib province, Syria February 24, 2023. (Reuters)

Ilham Ahmed to Asharq Al-Awsat: Giving Legitimacy to Syrian Regime Will Not Yield Political Solution

Head of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) Ilham Ahmed said cooperating with the Damascus regime “unconditionally” will only grant it some form of legitimacy…

Kamal Sheikho (Qamishli)
Interviews Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani sits down for an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat in Baghdad.

Iraqi PM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Our Country Won’t Be Arena for Settling Scores

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced that Iraq and Saudi Arabia are capable of forming a regional axis that can act as a foundation for…

Interviews French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna (EPA)

French FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Working with Saudi Arabia to Support Regional Stability

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday that strengthening France’s relations with both Saudi Arabia and the…

Michel Abou Najm (Paris)
Interviews Lebanese MPs speak prior to the start of the ninth parliamentary session to elect a new president of Lebanon, at the Parliament building in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 December 2022. (EPA)

Hamadeh to Asharq Al-Awsat: Presidential Vacuum in Lebanon Will Last Months

It appears that the vacuum in the presidency in Lebanon will last several months given the lack of prospects for a local solution or a breakthrough in…

Youssef Diab (Beirut)
Interviews French ambassador to Yemen Jean-Marie Safa (Photo: Omar Hogail)

French Ambassador to Yemen Sounds Alarm Over Houthi Recruitment of Children

French ambassador to Yemen Jean-Marie Safa said that his embassy was in contact with the Houthis, but accused the group of communicating with the world through…

Badr Al-Qahtani (London)
Interviews Head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea. (Lebanese Forces)

Geagea: Dialogue with Hezbollah, its Allies Is a Waste of Time

Head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea usually prefers to remain optimistic, in contrast to the dreariness in Lebanon that is grappling with an unprecedented…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Interviews UK Ambassador to Yemen Richard Oppenheim

Oppenheim to Asharq Al-Awsat: Our Problem Isn’t Houthis, It’s Their Destructive Behavior

The UK ambassador to Yemen, Richard Oppenheim, acknowledged that he has direct communication channels with the Houthis and confirmed that he had dined with the…

Badr Al-Qahtani (London)