On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, held at the Royal Court at Mina Palace on Thursday the annual audience for presidents, prime ministers, senior Islamic dignitaries, guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, guests of government agencies, and heads of delegations and offices of pilgrims affairs who performed the Hajj this year.
Crown Prince Mohammed welcomed King Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah of Malaysia; President Macky Sall of Senegal; President of Bangladesh Mohammed Shahabuddin; President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi; Vice President of the Maldives Faisal Naseem; Prime Minister of Egypt, Dr. Mustafa Madbouly; caretaker Prime Minister Lebanon Najib Mikati; Prime Minister of Somalia Hamza Abdi Barre; Prime Minister of Niger Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou; Prime Minister of the State of Palestine Mohammad Ibrahim Shtayyeh, and the Speakers of the House of Representatives of several Islamic countries.
Crown Prince Mohammed delivered a speech welcoming the guests and congratulating the pilgrims and Islamic nation on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.
“Since its foundation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been blessed by God Almighty to serve the Two Holy Mosques has made this at the forefront of its interests. The Kingdom has made every effort and harnessed all capabilities to provide the pilgrims comfort and tranquility,” he stressed.
“We ask God Almighty to bless us and the Muslim nation with safety and security. We ask Him to grant the pilgrims the ability to complete their rituals on these blessed days and safely return to their countries,” he added.
Minister of Hajj and Umrah and Chairman of the Committee of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Guests Program for Hajj, Umrah and Visit, Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said that pilgrims have been performing their Hajj rituals with complete tranquility, peace, and security, thanks to the support and directives of the Kingdom's leadership.
He said that pilgrims are enjoying high-quality services throughout their spiritual journey provided by more than 40 public sectors according to a plan that had been prepared right after the end of the previous Hajj.
The minister said that the directives of the Crown Prince and his constant follow-up in implementing the targets of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Guests Program for Hajj, Umrah and Visit, including facilitating pilgrims' arrival to the Two Holy Mosques and simplifying the visa procedures and digitalizing them under one unified multi-language platform, have had an immense contribution to achieving a record number of Umrah pilgrims, who have topped 10 million.
Al-Rabiah explained that this year saw the introduction of fair competition in serving pilgrims from abroad and the expansion of the Makkah Route Initiative, which has covered seven countries, benefiting more than 400,000 pilgrims.
The ceremony was attended by Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz; Prince Mansour bin Saud bin Abdulaziz; Prince Saud bin Saad bin Abdulaziz; Prince Sattam bin Saud bin Abdulaziz; Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz; Prince Dr. Bandar bin Abdullah bin Turki, and other princes.
