Riyadh: For the first time, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has delivered the annual royal speech to open the fourth year of the eighth session of the Shoura Council on behalf of King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
The annual meeting began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by the speaker of the Shoura Council Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Asheikh opening remarks before the Bin Salman’s speech on Wednesday, December 27.
In his speech, Bin Salman announced that the Kingdom achieved historic performance in tourism in the first quarter of 2023, with a 64 percent growth rate, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
He praised Saudi Arabia’s economic progress under its Vision 2030 plan and pledged to continue the transformation, aiming for positive results and financial stability to boost overall growth.
Saudi Arabia’s economy experienced the fastest growth among G20 countries in 2022, with an 8.7 percent domestic product growth and a 4.8 percent non-oil domestic product growth, making it among the 20 most competitive countries, he added.
Regarding the Two Holy Mosques, Bin Salman also praised the successful handling of the Haj and Umrah pilgrimages to Islamic holy cities this year.
He said that the Kingdom welcomed over 1.8 million pilgrims last year, demonstrating its commitment to development and ambitious vision and programs.
Bin Salman emphasized the Kingdom’s efforts to tackle the Gaza Strip conflict, citing the November joint Islamic-Arab summit as a catalyst for political pressure on the international community.
He also highlighted that Saudi Arabia strengthened global cooperation and friendly relationships by hosting major summits in 2023, bringing together over 100 countries.
Bin Salman also said that the Kingdom’s selection as Expo 2030 host confirms its global standing and trust as an ideal interface for hosting prominent international forums.
