World should make immediate Gaza ceasefire a priority: Saudi foreign minister

ARAB NEWS
December 08, 2023

Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee holds press conference on Gaza ceasefire in Washington. (SPA)

Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee holds press conference on Gaza ceasefire in Washington. (SPA)

• Our message is consistent and clear that we believe that it is absolutely necessary to end the fighting immediately,’ Prince Faisal bin Farhan said
• Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee held joint press conference before meeting with US secretary of state in Washington

WASHINGTON: There must be an immediate end to the fighting in Gaza but governments worldwide do not seem to see it as a priority, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Friday in Washington, adding that there must also be a credible roadmap to establish a Palestinian state.

Russia and Saudi Arabia urge all OPEC+ powers to join oil cuts

REUTERS
By Guy Faulconbridge and Vladimir Soldatkin
December 7, 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman walk during a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 6, 2023. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERS/ File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 6, 2023. Sputnik/Sergei Savostyanov/Pool via REUTERS/ File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights

Vladimir Putin meets leaders of Saudi Arabia and UAE in whistle-stop Gulf tour

FINANCIAL TIMES
December 6, 2023

Russia’s president holds talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after meeting ruler of United Arab Emirates earlier 

Mohammed bin Salman, right, welcomes Vladimir Putin, left, to Riyadh on Wednesday © SPA/AFP via Getty Images

 

Vladimir Putin has met the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as part of the first visit by the Russian president to the Gulf region since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago. 

Saudi Arabia rejects Israel’s ‘attempts at forced displacement’ of Gazans

AL ARABIA NEWS
Published: 21 October ,2023

People salvage belongings from the rubble of a building levelled in an Israeli strike on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on October 15, 2023. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia rejects “attempts at forced displacement” of the people of Gaza by Israel, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Saturday at the Cairo Peace summit.

Saudi Arabia hosts 260,000 Rohingya refugees with a spending of $2.25bln: official

ZAWYA
Staff Writer, Saudi Gazette
September 25, 2023

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed was among those who attended the session held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings

Rohingya refugees walk towards a market to buy essentials in Kutupalong camp a day after cyclone Mocha made landfall, in Ukhia on May 15, 2023. Cyclone Mocha made landfall on May 14 between Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh and Myanmar's Sittwe packing winds of up to 195 kilometres (120 miles) per hour, the biggest storm to hit the Bay of Bengal in over a decade. (Photo by Munir uz zaman / AFP)

Agence France-Presse (AFP)

NEW YORK — Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, advisor to the Royal Court and general supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), said that Saudi Arabia has hosted more than 260,000 Rohingya refugees ever since the beginning of the conflict in Myanmar. “The Kingdom has so far spent $2.25 billion to render them public health care, as well as to create jobs for them in addition to providing their children with education,” he said while addressing a high-level session on the Rohingya minority crisis at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia affirms support for Rohingya; abstains resolution

Saudi Gazette

Saudi Gazette report
June 20, 2021

The Kingdom’s statement was delivered by Minister Plenipotentiary Wajdi Hassan Muharram, chairman of the Fourth Committee of the Kingdom’s permanent delegation to the United Nations, during the General Assembly meeting on a draft resolution on the situation in Myanmar.

NEW YORK — Saudi Arabia on Saturday affirmed its firm position in support of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and voted to abstain from a resolution moved at the UN General Assembly on the situation in Myanmar.

The General Assembly adopted a resolution that called on all member states to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar.

The Kingdom’s statement was delivered by Minister Plenipotentiary Wajdi Hassan Muharram, chairman of the Fourth Committee of the Kingdom’s permanent delegation to the United Nations, during the General Assembly meeting on a draft resolution on the situation in Myanmar.

Bangladesh asks for Saudi Arabia's help repatriating Rohingya

DAILY SABAH
BY ANADOLU AGENCY
DHAKA ASIA PACIFIC
JUN 14, 2021

A group of Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, gather on Pulau Idaman, a small island just off the coast of East Aceh, in northern Sumatra on June 6, 2021, after a group of 81 refugees landed on June 4, in the latest wave of Rohingya arrivals. (AFP Photo)

Bangladesh is seeking the cooperation of Saudi Arabia to facilitate the sustainable repatriation of Rohingya Muslims to their home country, Myanmar.

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen made the appeal while speaking to his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud over phone, said a statement by the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry on Saturday.

Bangladesh seeks Saudi Arabia's help in repatriation of Rohingya

MIDDLE EAST MONITOR

June 13, 2021

A view from the Rohingya refugee camp in Ukhia, Bangladesh on March 24, 2021 [Stringer/Anadolu Agency]

Bangladesh has sought the cooperation of Saudi Arabia for a sustainable repatriation of Rohingya Muslims to their home country, Myanmar, reports Anadolu Agency.

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen made the appeal while speaking to his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud over the phone, said a statement by the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia monitoring conflict in Myanmar with ‘great concern’

ARAB NEWS
March 12, 2021

The Rohingya people have faced widespread persecution in Myanmar. (File/Reuters)

• Kingdom’s UN delegation calls for intensifying international efforts to solve Rohingya crisis

LONDON: Saudi Arabia said it is following the suffering of the Rohingya Muslim minority and other minorities in Myanmar with “great concern.”

The comments were made during a UN Human Rights Council meeting with UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Tom Andrews.

“The situation of the Rohingya minority is one of the most important issues that the Kingdom pays great attention to,” said Mohannad Al-Basrawi, the human rights department head of the Kingdom’s permanent UN delegation in Geneva.

Shahriar: Saudi Arabia won't send back Rohingyas to Bangladesh

Dhaka Tribune
UNB
March 10th, 2021

File photo of Scores of Rohingya Muslims sit on the floor of the Shumaisi detention centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as the authorities prepare to deport the men to Bangladesh Nay San Lwin/Al Jazeera

KSA assures of interim arrangement for irregular Bangladesh expatriates to have health facilities and employment, he said

The Saudi government did not say that the Rohingyas, living in Saudi Arabia, will be sent back to Bangladesh, said State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam on Wednesday.

“No, Saudi Arabia didn’t say that they’ll send back Rohingyas to Bangladesh,” he told reporters at his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs referring to his meeting with his Saudi counterpart Adel Al-Jubeir during his recent visit there.

The state minister said his Saudi counterpart made it clear that “they’ve no as such issue” with Bangladesh.

Saudi Arabia, US, sign aid deal for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

ZAWYA
saudi arabia
By Staff Writer, Saudi Gazette
13 November, 2020

As part of the agreement, multi-use housing units worth $2mln will be made to rehabilitate the refugees

Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia signed virtually on Thursday an agreement with the United States to implement a multi-sector program to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh’s Cox's Bazar district, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Saudi Arabia, US sign Rohingya aid deal

ARAB NEWS

SPA

13 November 2020 

Rohingya Muslim refugees children queue for aid suplies at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar on Dec. 4, 2017. (AFP/File)

 

• The agreement aims to rehabilitate housing with a total value of $2 million
• The program will target 87,165 people for urgent assistance

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia signed virtually on Thursday an agreement with the US to implement a multi-sector refugee support program in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh.

The agreement aims to rehabilitate housing with a total value of $2 million, and will be managed by the World Food Program (WFP).

Saudi Arabia Participates in Donor Conference for Rohingya Refugees

MENAFN
Date 10/22/2020

(MENAFN - Saudi Press Agency) Riyadh, October 22, 2020, SPA -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia participated in Donor Conference for Rohingya Refugees that was held in Geneva today virtually.

The Kingdom's delegation was headed by the Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah.

Rohingyas fear deportation after Saudi request to Bangladesh

NEWAGE

Online Desk
Oct 15,2020  

Rohingya refugees wait to collect relief materials in Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia on October 14, 2020. — AFP photo 

 

Rohingya living in Saudi Arabia are worried that Riyadh will deport them, after the kingdom threatened Bangladesh with a migration ban unless Dhaka gave Bangladeshi passports to members of the persecuted minority, reports the Middle East Eye.

Last month, Bangladesh’s foreign minister AK Abdul Momen confirmed in a Dhaka press conference that Riyadh had made the request for Bangladesh to give Rohingya living in Saudi Arabia Bangladeshi citizenship.

‘Many of the refugees have never come to Bangladesh and have no idea about the country. They know Saudi culture and speak the Arabic language,’ said Momen.

Rohingya fear deportation after Saudi Arabia calls on Bangladesh to give minority passports

M&E

MIDDLE EAST EYE

Areeb Ullah  

Date: 14 October 2020

 

Riyadh threatens Dhaka with curbing migration if it fails to adhere to its request, which could be disastrous for Bangladesh's economy

Rohingya refugees living in Malaysia shout slogans during a protest against the treatment of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, in Kuala Lumpur on 8 September 2017 (AFP)

 

Rohingya living in Saudi Arabia are worried that Riyadh will deport them, after the kingdom threatened Bangladesh with a migration ban unless Dhaka gave Bangladeshi passports to members of the persecuted minority.

Last month, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen confirmed in a Dhaka press conference that Riyadh had made the request for Bangladesh to give Rohingya living in Saudi Arabia Bangladeshi citizenship.

Saudi Arabia pressures Bangladesh to issue passports to Rohingya

DW

2020.10.10

Saudi Arabia wants Bangladesh to give passports to 54,000 stateless Rohingya refugees who have lived in the kingdom for decades. But many of them have never stepped foot in Bangladesh.  

Almost 40 years ago, Saudi Arabia took in tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees who were facing persecution in Myanmar. Now, Riyadh wants Muslim-majority Bangladesh to issue passports to some 54,000 Rohingya.

Bangladesh experts urge government not to issue passports for Rohingya in Saudi Arabia

FINANCIAL EXPRESS

September 28, 2020

 

Bangladesh's decision to issue national passports to Rohingya living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) will be harmful to the country's interest, opined foreign affairs experts.

Recently, Saudi Arabia, the largest employer of Bangladeshi workers - numbering 2.2 million, asked Bangladesh to issue passports to around 54,000 Rohingya living there.

Apparently under pressure from the Saudi government, Bangladesh has, in principle, agreed to issue national passports to Saudi Rohingyas on conditions.

Bangladesh, Saudi FMs to discuss bilateral issues Sunday

Dhaka Tribune
September 26th, 2020

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud UNB

The telephone conversation is scheduled to begin at 5pm, an official told UNB on Saturday.

The Saudi government on Wednesday positively responded to workers’ issues ending barriers to their return to the workplaces in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

The first batch of over 300 passengers left Dhaka on flight SV-802 of Saudi Airlines early Saturday.

What will the Kingdom gain from deporting them?

The Daily Star

Nay San Lwin
March 05, 2020

Rohingya refugees walk down a hillside at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar on November 27, 2017. PHOTO: AFP

If you look at the major cities around the world, from New York to London, you will find the Rohingya are there. You can be sure that wherever they are, be it in Riyadh or Vancouver, they have gone by one of three routes—seeking asylum, UN agency resettlement or entry with a counterfeit passport from a third country. And so it is, that an estimated 42,000 Rohingya are in Saudi Arabia. Worryingly, they face deportation to Bangladesh.

Who are behind the illegal passports issued to Rohingyas?

dailyobserver

Wednesday, 19 February, 2020

Nizam Ahmed

Official figure of Rohingya Muslims, who fled Myanmar military crackdown with genocidal intent, in 2017 and now living in the world's largest refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, will cross 800,000 once Saudi Arabia deports around 50,000 Rohingyas to Bangladesh.

During the crackdown thousands were killed, women raped and their houses burnt to ashes. The total number of Rohingyas living at the refugee camp and many other makeshift shelters in the Cox's Bazar and the adjacent Bandarban districts has crossed 1,100,000 with those who had fled Myanmar following Muslim-Buddist communal riots in 2012.

Saudi Arabia wants to send the Rohjngyas back to Bangladesh as they entered into the Kingdom using Bangladesh passports and pretending as Bangladeshi nationals in the recent past.