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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent separate cables of congratulations on Sunday to South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa on his re-election for a new term.
King Salman expressed his sincere congratulations and best wishes for success to Ramaphosa and for the progress and prosperity of his country, SPA reported.
Saudi Arabia has enjoyed excellent relations with South Africa, which have been strengthened and developed in every aspect.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is an important regional power that needs to be kept informed of security operations in the Red Sea, Rear Adm. Vasileios Gryparis, commander of the EU military mission EUNAVFOR Aspides, has told Arab News.
The EU on Feb. 19 last year launched a maritime security operation, EU Naval Force Operation Aspides, in response to escalating Iran-backed Houthi attacks on warships and merchant vessels in the Red Sea, northwestern Indian Ocean, and the Gulf.
In an interview with Arab News, Gryparis, who was in Riyadh as part of a regional tour, said that the Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, were important to help safeguard the freedom of navigation in the region.
He said: “Among the very important countries in the area is Saudi Arabia. So, my intention here is to inform the Kingdom about what we are doing.
“Because the Red Sea, where we operate, is the front yard of the Kingdom, we believe and we are honest in that we have to inform all the countries in the area that what we do is benefiting everybody.”
He thanked the Gulf Cooperation Council countries’ authorities for their involvement in the MV Sounion tanker operation which helped to prevent 150,000 tonnes of oil from being spilled into the Red Sea.
He said: “This was dealing with probably an imminent environmental disaster. It’s one of the reasons for this visit, and also to thank the GCC authorities for their contribution.”
Commenting on Operation Aspides’ role in regional maritime security, he added: “It is crucial to build up the confidence of the shipowners and the shipping companies, and (that) they return gradually to their original trade. Of course, we are talking about civilians that are not used to being threatened in this way.”
He said that the actions of the force were “not only protecting the livelihoods of countries in the area, but also the lives of the local people.”
He added: “You can imagine that if we had had an oil spill from the MV Sounion tanker, this would have been three to four times worse than the Exxon Valdez oil spill, a major environmental disaster in Alaska in 1989.”
On the challenges posed by the Houthis, Gryparis said: “It is important to allow the shipping industry to understand that somebody is caring for them.
“We don’t mind about the nationality of the seafarers, because we believe in the freedom of navigation and the value of human life, so we are protecting exactly those values.”
Yemen’s maritime borders became a battleground in a wider regional and international power play following the start of the conflict in Gaza.
The Houthis have hindered maritime traffic through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, which provides access to the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
On continuing the operation and its resulting challenges, Gryparis said: “This (the operation) is going to be here until this problem is solved.”
He added: “We are not allowed to enter the territorial seas and the airspace of Yemen. And any kinetic action that we take should always be necessary, proportionate and limited to the internal channel.”
The EU Council has recently extended the mandate of the maritime security operation until February 2026.
Gryparis said: “They trusted me and my operation that we are delivering. So, they understood the results that we have provided so far.
“They understood that the problem has not been solved yet, and they gave us extra time in order to reach the goal.
“Besides that, they entrusted me and my operation with new tasks. So, that means that they have good confidence in our capabilities.”
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met his Japanese counterpart, Takeshi Iwaya, in Riyadh on Thursday to discuss bilateral ties.
The ministers reviewed strategic and economic relations between Riyadh and Tokyo, and highlighted the need for continued cooperation, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Iwaya “expressed his gratitude for the stable supply of crude oil from Saudi Arabia over the years” and expects the Kingdom to continue its leading role in stabilizing the global crude oil market.
The ministry said that Prince Faisal “reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to the stable supply of crude oil to Japan” and called for improved cooperation in the crude oil sector, as well as in clean energy.
The ministers discussed enhancing bilateral cooperation in space and defense. They agreed to arrange for the implementation of the Strategic Partnership Council, for which the two countries signed a memorandum in February.
Saudi Arabia and Japan are marking the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. Tokyo is passing the baton to the Kingdom from Expo 2025 in Osaka, which concludes in October, to the Riyadh Expo 2030, the ministry added.
Prince Faisal and Takeshi discussed regional issues, including the necessity of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, US-Iran nuclear negotiations, the war in Ukraine and efforts to achieve a two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Ghazi Faisal Binzagr, Saudi ambassador to Japan, and Saud Al-Sati, deputy minister for political affairs, attended the meeting.
On Thursday, Takeshi also held talks with Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Al-Budaiwi to discuss the Gulf’s partnership with Japan in energy security.
The two officials agreed to cooperate in various areas, including politics, security, trade and investment. They also exchanged views on Gaza, Syria, Iran, the Red Sea and East Asia.
RIYADH: A discussion on Saudi architecture will be held on the sidelines of the Venice Biennale of Architecture on May 7.
Diriyah Art Futures, or DAF, announced their collaboration with Italian architecture firm Schiattarella Associati to host a panel in Venice, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
The panel, titled “A New Era for Art in Saudi Arabia: Building Future Institutions and Pioneering Architectures,” will discuss the role of contemporary design and digital innovation in Saudi architecture.
Speaking at the panel will be Mona Khazindar, adviser to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture; Haytham Nawar, director of Diriyah Art Futures; and Andrea and Amadeo Schiattarella, principal architects of Schiattarella Associati. The session will be moderated by acclaimed architect and art critic James Steele.
The panel talk is part of “Building of the Future,” an initiative highlighting leading global architectural projects that redefine contemporary design.
The panel will be held in the Querini Stampalia Foundation, one of Venice’s most prestigious cultural institutions. The event will bring together architects, cultural leaders, artists and media to engage in a dialogue about Saudi Arabia’s evolving role in the international creative and architectural landscape.
The foundation will also host an accompanying exhibition curated by Schiattarella Associati displaying models, sketches, videos, drawings, photographs and objects, inspired by the rocky escarpment of Diriyah’s landscape.
The exhibition, from May 7 to June 15, will showcase the Saudi Museums Commission’s contributions to Riyadh’s cultural development as part of Vision 2030.
Developed by the Saudi Museums Commission in partnership with Diriyah Co., DAF contributes to the global new media and digital art landscape by integrating regional voices and pioneering practices in art, technology and innovation.
JEDDAH: Two new photography exhibitions in Jeddah are celebrating the work of the winners of a competition that awarded a total of SR400,000 in prize money to participants.
“Hayy Aynak — In a New Light” and “When the Fog Whispers” were opened by the Visual Arts Commission at Hayy Jameel on Wednesday.
The exhibitions will run until May 25 in conjunction with the third Kingdom Photography Award, which began earlier this year.
The award has become a prominent platform for capturing the spirit of Saudi Arabia through the lens of its creative talents.
This exhibition celebrates the Kingdom’s natural beauty, cultural richness and artistic innovation through photography.
The competition invites artists to explore a specific region of the Kingdom through their work.
Dina Amin, CEO of the Visual Arts Commission, told Arab News: “The idea is to start to create through the lens of different photographers and their creative process, a body of work that captures the richness of the landscapes of Saudi Arabia through different languages of expression, different creative processes, different types of photography and storytelling to really create a visual odyssey almost through the landscape, the people and the environment of Saudi Arabia today.”
She added: “If you look in today’s exhibition, you’ll see some of the photographers have chosen to look at natural environment, landscape. Others have chosen to look at population and populated environments, so to speak, whereas others are really looking at tradition and history. So, with each engagement, we start to have this beautiful journey.”
The “Hayy Aynak” exhibition presents the winning works from the third running of the award, which received more than 1,300 submissions and awarded a total of SR400,000 in prizes.
The exhibition celebrates the aesthetics and diverse landscapes of the Kingdom — from the buzz of urban life to the stillness of the desert.
An international jury evaluated the submissions and selected the most compelling and meaningful stories based on creativity, technical proficiency and the narrative power of visual storytelling.
The second exhibition, “When the Fog Whispers,” takes visitors on a personal and emotional journey to the Asir region, long a source of artistic inspiration thanks to its mist-covered mountains and deep-rooted cultural heritage.
Five artists were selected to create special photography projects that reflected their relationships with the Asir landscape. The resulting works are visually captivating and rich in reflection, documentation and human connection.
Mohammed Sumji, the curator of the third outing of the award, told Arab News about the experience of bringing photographers together to explore the distinctive landscape of Asir.
“We selected the region of Asir, and the five photographers that we selected were known to me, and I basically selected them based on their potential to make works especially around Asir because they practice dealing with either stories of people’s lived experiences or landscapes. I’m very happy with how it’s come out.”
Saudi photographer, Abdulmajeed Al-Ruwaidan, chose the theme “Roadside Stations” for his submission, documenting the architecture of old Saudi gas stations before they disappeared under modern development.
Elham Al-Dossary, also from Saudi Arabia, chose the theme “Crossing Asir,” blending her late father’s archive as a photographer with contemporary images to create a visual narrative that meditates on memory and transformation.
For the past two years, Ilham has been helping her father archive his work, and a small part of that archive is dedicated to his time in Asir.
“He has an archive at home that dates back to the 1960s and ’70s,” she told Arab News.
She continued: “The archive became a way to view Asir through a personal and familial lens.
“There’s a connection between me and my father — through the land, through the people — and I also wanted to explore more stories, not just about him, but about life there and the areas we photographed, like Al-Habla and others.”
Mohamed Mahdy, from Egypt, titled his collection “When the Land Loves You.” It is a poignant portrayal of the emotional connection between the people of Asir and their land, captured through nostalgic and heartfelt imagery.
Lina Geoushy, also from Egypt, called her collection “Daughters of Al-Qatt.” Hers is a colorful celebration of the women who sustain the traditional Al-Qatt Al-Asiri artform, recognized by UNESCO. Her photographs honor this living tradition.
She told Arab News: “This photo is especially important to me because it’s in this very rich village, Rijal Almaa … it plays on the idea of the inside and the outside, the internal spaces or imaginaries and the landscape; the lady in the photo is Sharifa Mahdy, who’s been practicing this art for 25 years, and she learnt it from the famous Fatima Abou Gahas.
“Apart from it being a life tradition, Qatt art has healing powers … it gives them confidence and positivity and it’s sort of like a refuge for them.”
Hicham Gardaf, from Morocco, created a collection titled “The Road to the Juniper.” It is a meticulously crafted visual journey through juniper forests, where nature becomes a silent cultural archive filled with untold stories.
He told Arab News: “I imagined this massive juniper tree with roots spreading across Asir — like routes we travel, all leading back to this one tree that connects the land, the people and their stories.”
Throughout the exhibition period, the Visual Arts Commission will also host a series of interactive workshops and panel discussions featuring local and international experts.
These sessions aim to create space for dialogue, skill development and knowledge exchange, enriching visitors’ experience and fostering artistic and professional growth across various fields of the visual arts.
JEDDAH: City Walk, part of Jeddah Season, officially reopened on Wednesday with a range of new attractions.
Running until June 14, this year’s event features seven themed zones spanning 281,000 sq. m. — Wonder Wall, Tomorrow Land, Fantasy Land, Cairo Nights, Black Forest, Adventure Land and The Garden.
Each section features games, rides and other family-friendly activities.
Salma Al-Harbi, a visitor from Makkah, told Arab News: “We’ve been visiting City Walk for the past three years, but this year truly stands out.
“There are so many new attractions, the experience is more affordable, and the waiting times are much shorter.
“My kids especially loved Luca Land where they got to play with different dog breeds. And for the whole family, the horror zone was definitely the highlight.”
Another, visitor Yazeed Al-Harbi, said: “There’s a great mix of thrills and relaxation. I didn’t expect to enjoy the painting area as much as I did. It’s really inclusive and well thought-out.”
For those seeking light-hearted fun, Joy Plex offers activities for children with characters such as Shaun the Sheep, Masha and the Bear, and Bluey leading interactive adventures.
The nearby Joy Plex-X expands on this with activities such as the Slime Festival, Stumble Guys, and Jelly Zone.
“City Walk is amazing this year, my kids loved the Slime Fest and meeting their favorite cartoon characters in the air-conditioned space, which was a great relief from the hot weather outside,” said Rana Khalid, who came with her children.
“There’s so much to do for everyone in the family.”
Beyond the rides and characters, the 2025 event includes a number of creative and educational activities.
Splash Studio invites guests to paint on the walls, while Navigation Land has air rifle shooting, archery and remote-controlled vehicles.
The Birds & Reptiles Cave gives nature lovers a chance to interact with and learn about exotic species through guided tours.
City Walk also hosts theatrical shows such as A Thousand and One Nights, Pasha, and Broken World.
Beyond the attractions, the event features 77 retail outlets and 65 restaurants and cafes.
Oat Chayanin, from Thailand, who is showcasing handmade cotton owls and other products, said: “I brought a selection of handmade owls from Thailand, along with some medicinal products.
“It’s been wonderful to see how excited people in Saudi Arabia are to learn about Thai culture and show such respect for the products.
“I’m looking forward to engaging with customers and learning more about Saudi culture so I can better understand what to bring for future events.”
Project manager, Mohammed Fahad, said: “The horror-themed attractions are a major highlight this year.”
“Experiences like Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach plunge visitors into a chilling maze of terrifying challenges, while Music Hell offers ghostly concerts brought to life by a skeleton band.
“Le Grand Hotel takes guests on a suspense-filled journey through a haunted building, testing their nerves at every turn.”
