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  • MBS confirms Saudi Arabia’s support for resolutions adopted by Arab League summit on Gaza

    Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman emphasized the Kingdom’s full support for the resolutions adopted by the extraordinary Arab League summit on Gaza. The meeting – held in Egypt’s Cairo – saw leaders from the Arab region come together to counter US President Donald Trump’s “Middle East Riveria” vision, which seeks to displace Palestinians in the territory from their homes. The Cabinet also stressed the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and to attain their legitimate rights, including the establishment of an independent state along the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital, according to SPA.

  • Saudi Arabia’s Renewed Commitment to Palestinian Cause: A Legacy Laid Out by King Abdulaziz

    At the Arab Summit in Beirut in March 2002, the Kingdom reaffirmed its commitment to the Palestinian cause by presenting a practical framework for achieving a comprehensive and just resolution to the Middle East conflict. This proposal, later known as the Arab Peace Initiative, was adopted by Arab leaders and officially approved during the summit. In line with the continued commitment to the Palestinian cause, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud named the 29th Arab Summit, held in Dhahran in April 2018, the Al-Quds Summit. He also announced that Saudi Arabia was donating $150 million to support Islamic institutions in Jerusalem and $50 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Saudi Arabia continues its efforts to support the Palestinian cause as part of its Arab and Islamic responsibilities.

  • Diriyah Art Futures Reflects Growing Saudi Investment in Digital Art

    Located prominently on King Faisal Road in Al Bujairi, Diriyah, just northwest of Riyadh, is the vast new 129,000 square foot Diriyah Art Futures institute. Inaugurated in December 2024, the new media arts center is dedicated to the rapidly expanding genre of digital art and is among the first institute of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa. Developed by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, Diriyah Art Futures highlights the kingdom’s growing interest and investment in art and culture involving new technology and artificial intelligence. Haytham Nawar, director of Diriyah Art Futures and former chair of the arts department at the American University in Cairo, said the exhibition is significant because “it provides a historical overview” of digital art. “In Saudi, there is knowledge of the history of computational art, especially the usage of AI and generative art,” added Nawar. “What it does is connect international artists in the field with those working in Saudi.”

  • Saudi Arabia – Rise of a global diplomatic power?: Video

    Saudi Arabia is increasingly positioning itself at the center of various high-stakes diplomatic processes. In recent months, it has taken on key roles as backer, mediator, or host to ongoing negotiations, including on a Gaza settlement, Russian-US normalization and a cease-fire in Ukraine, support for Lebanon and Syria, as well as efforts to end the Sudanese civil war. How do such Saudi diplomatic interventions fit into the kingdom’s broader political-economic transformation efforts? This on-the-record briefing featured Middle East Institute (MEI) Associate Fellow Norman T. Roule, a 34-year veteran of the CIA whose current work focuses on issues concerning the Gulf states and Iran. The briefing also featured F. Gregory Gause III, Visiting Scholar at MEI and author of three books focused on the Persian Gulf.

  • Saudi Aramco Weighs Bid for BP’s Castrol Lubricant Assets

    Saudi Aramco is considering a potential offer for lubricant assets being sold by BP Plc, as the Middle Eastern company pushes for acquisitions that deepen its reach in oil consuming countries, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The world’s biggest energy company is studying whether to bid for part or all of the business, which operates under the Castrol brand name, the people said. Aramco could look to combine the Castrol assets with its Valvoline lubricants unit, which it bought in a $2.65 billion deal completed in 2023. Aramco is particularly interested in Castrol’s operations in fast-growing markets like India, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. Its Mumbai-listed subsidiary Castrol India Ltd. has a market value of about $2.5 billion.

  • Exclusive Q&A: Jay Monahan on the Saudi talks, reshaping golf and engaging his critics

    We continue to state that we're doing all that we can to reunify the game because our fans are saying that's what they want, the best players competing together more often. We feel that's a commitment we've got to see through for our fans and for our players. If you look at our comments, it's been enthusiasm around reunification and a confidence in the efforts that we're taking, not only the best interests of the Tour but the best interests of the game. Coming out of our last meeting, the President said he was optimistic about a deal getting done. Yasir [al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor] called it a good meeting. When you’re in the midst of complex negotiations you have ebbs and flows, but I don’t feel less confident that we can get there and I don't think my comments have reflected anything other than that. We appreciate Yasir’s innovative vision and can see a future where we welcome him onto our Board and work together to move our global game forward.

  • Saudi consumer spending surges ahead of Ramadan

    Consumer spending in Saudi Arabia jumped 34.7% to SAR 17.5 billion (USD 4.6 billion) in the week leading up to Ramadan, from February 23 to March 1, Arab News reported. The latest point-of-sale transaction data from the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, revealed 231.3 million transactions reflecting a seasonal spike in demand as Saudis prepare for Ramadan, a holy month characterized by large daily fast and collective meals at sunset. The food and beverage sector led the surge, with spending soaring 74.9% week on week to SAR 3.3 billion (USD 879 million). Spending on public utilities followed closely, with a 55.9% rise, amounting to SAR 81.5 million (USD 21.7 million). Expenditure on furniture also recorded a notable surge at 46% to SAR 524.5 million (USD 139.7 million).

  • Saudi Arabia, Lebanon Issue Joint Statement, Stress Taif Agreement and Regional Coordination

    The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Lebanese Republic affirmed the importance of strengthening Arab action and coordinating positions on key issues in the regional and international arenas. They also emphasized the importance of the full implementation of the Taif Agreement, the application of relevant international resolutions, the extension of state sovereignty over all Lebanese territories, the exclusive possession of arms by the Lebanese state, reiterating the national role of the Lebanese army, the importance of supporting it, and the necessity of the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from all Lebanese territories.

  • PRIORITY Summit in Miami Highlights Saudi Arabia’s Key Role in Geopolitics, Finance, Technology, and Sports

    The PRIORITY Summit, hosted by the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute in Miami, underscored Saudi Arabia's growing influence across geopolitics, finance, technology, and sports. The event attracted top leaders from politics, finance, and technology, reinforcing its status as one of the premier global investment conferences. The summit also served as a call to global investors to participate in multiple opportunities in Saudi Arabia, such as infrastructure, AI, sports, and healthcare, while highlighting opportunities that Saudi investors are keen to pursue internationally. An office to facilitate inbound and outbound investments was announced by the Saudi Minister of Investment, H.E. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, in the presence of Saudi Ambassador to U.S, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, Abdulrahman Bakir (Managing Director, MISA Americas) and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.

  • PwC working to mend ties with Saudi Arabia

    Global consulting firm PwC is working with Saudi Arabia and its sovereign wealth fund to address issues that have led to a suspension of new consulting projects, reported Reuters.  The Public Investment Fund (PIF), with assets worth $925bn (SR3.5trn) and more than 100 subsidiaries, has instructed its companies to halt project assignments to PwC until February 2026.  This comes two years after PwC received a licence to establish its regional headquarters in Riyadh.  The firm currently employs more than 2,000 individuals across various cities in Saudi Arabia.