Saudi Arabia

15 Mar 2023; MEMO: Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman yesterday said that there is a possibility of imposing a price cap on Saudi oil exports and "we will not sell oil to any country that imposes a cap on our supplies."

Prince Abdulaziz made his remarks in an interview published by Energy Intelligence, which was reported by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) in response to a question about reintroducing the NOPEC bill.

13 Mar 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has rejected visa applications for members of an Israeli delegation invited to attend the UN World Tourism Organisation conference in Al-Ula, Bloomberg has reported. Israeli settlers from Kafr Kanna in Galilee were due to join representatives from 22 other countries at the conference but didn't get appropriate visas despite an appeal from the UN for equal treatment between member states and the billions spent by the Kingdom to develop a major t

13 Mar 2023; MEMO: Oil giant, Saudi Aramco, said earning reached $161 billion last year, claiming the highest-ever recorded annual profit by a publicly listed company and drawing immediate criticism from activists, AP reports.

The profit by the firm came off the back of energy prices rising after Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022, with sanctions limiting the sale of Moscow's oil and natural gas in Western markets.

12 Mar 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia is reportedly seeking a number of conditions to be met by the United States in return for its normalisation of relations with Israel, a report has claimed.

According to the New York Times, Saudi Arabia has said that it could potentially normalise ties with Israel if the US provides it security guarantees, assistance in its civilian nuclear program, and the lifting of restrictions on arms sales to the kingdom.

RIYADH, March 12 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will watch Iran's behaviour during the two-month window agreed upon to restore relations, Saudi columnists said on Sunday, reflecting continued wariness in the longtime rivalry between the region's Sunni Muslim and Shi'ite powers.

The breakthrough on Friday brokered by China, a major trade partner of both countries, followed several rounds of Saudi-Iranian talks held in the region in a bid to contain tensions, at a time of Gulf frustration over what they perceive as gradual U.S. disengagment from the region.

March 12 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman formally announced on Sunday the creation of a new national airline, Riyadh Air, with industry veteran Tony Douglas as its chief executive, as the kingdom moves to compete with regional transport and travel hubs.

Riyadh Air will will serve more than 100 destinations around the world by 2030, making use of the kingdom's location between Asia, Africa and Europe, state news agency SPA said.

10 Mar 2023; MEMO: Saudi scholar Emad Al-Moubayed has said he fled the kingdom because "all doors closed for the affirmation of truth and rejection of wrongdoing."

8 Mar 2023; MEMO: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan said talks are underway for Syria's return to the Arab League.

"There is a consensus in the Arab world that the situation in Syria is not acceptable," Bin Farhan said in an interview with Saudi-run Al Arabiya television.

"There is a dialogue on the return of Syria to the Arab League, but I think it's too early to discuss," he added.

8 Mar 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has announced a set of rules and restrictions on the practice of the holy month of Ramadan in the Kingdom this year, including a number of controversial ones such as the reduction in mosque loudspeakers, the surveillance of worshippers wishing to seclude themselves during the month's last ten days, limitations on donations and the banning of filming or broadcasting of prayers within mosques.

8 Mar 2023; MEMO: A prominent Saudi cleric who was feared to have been detained has apparently left the Kingdom for a "safe" country, after criticising the government's radical reforms in the entertainment sphere.

Emad Al-Moubayed – a preacher and former imam at the King Abdulaziz Mosque in Dammam – posted a video on his unverified Twitter account last week, in which he warned against drastic social reforms in Saudi Arabia enacted over recent years.