Government | Saturday 26 November, 2016 4:57 am |

THE people of the Eastern Province were ecstatic over the visit of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, to the region. The Saudi leaders during the trip that will last for several days will see in person the condition of the people and pay attention to all their matters, both big and small.

The trip will take the King to Dhahran, Jubail, Al-Ahsa and Ras Al-Khair regions. During the royal visit, the region will witness the launch of several massive projects encompassing all walks of life.

In addition to several multibillion oil and gas projects of Saudi Aramco, the King would open the landmark King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), many hospitals and academic institutions.

The King’s programs started with a grand public reception in Dammam on Thursday night.

Addressing a public reception in Dammam Thursday night, King Salman vowed to strive for achieving integrated, comprehensive and balanced development in all regions without exception and provide opportunities for all to realize their legitimate aspirations, the Saudi Press Agency reported. He called upon citizens to work together for the success of Vision 2030.

“We have adopted Vision 2030, which reflects the strength and durability of the Saudi economy, and it would enable the Kingdom to move to broader horizons,” the King said.

The King said Saudi citizens have always showed that they are aware of their responsibility and they formed, together with their leadership and government, “a bulwark against the spiteful and greedy and thus foiled a lot of plots targeting the Kingdom”.

He thanked the people of the Eastern Province for their warm welcome and wished the country and people a bright and prosperous future.

Prince Saud Bin Naif, emir of the Eastern Province, a number of governors and other senior regional civilian and military officials, business leaders, academics, writers and cultural figures expressed their joy over the visit of the King in the region.

“On behalf of the people of the region, I am honored to welcome the King on the auspicious occasion of his visit to the region,” Prince Saud Bin Naif said. “I fail to express the true feelings of joy at your presence among the sons of the region,” he said while addressing the King at the public reception. He assured the monarch that the entire nation will rally behind him in supporting the drive to make the Vision 2030 a successful reality.

Prince Badr Bin Muhammad Bin Jalawi, governor of Al-Ahsa region, said the King wants to meet the citizens to learn about their needs and aspirations, besides listening to their demands.

Dr. Saleh Al-Solouk, director general of health affairs in the Eastern Province, said several key health projects, including hospitals, will be opened during the royal visit. These include the 500-bed Maternity and Children’s Hospital in Dammam, costing SR330 million, and 500-bed Al-Amal Health and Mental Health Complex, which was built at a cost of SR262 million.

The King will inaugurate three hospitals in Al-Ahsa, including the 200-bed Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Hospital built at a cost of SR127 million, the 100-bed Al-Omran Hospital built at a cost of SR112 million, and the 200-bed King Faisal General Hospital, which cost SR119 million.

Dr. Khaled Al-Sultan, president of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, said the visit of King is a major boost to the education sector in the Kingdom. The King will inaugurate several large projects, built at a total cost of SR2.7 billion as part of the second phase of the university’s expansion.

King Salman was to launch a number of mega oil projects of Saudi Aramco, including the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, at a ceremony in Dhahran Friday night.

“These projects would contribute significantly to realizing the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 through setting the ground for sustainable expansion and diversification of the national economy and increase its production capacity, in addition to strengthening the position of Saudi Aramco as the largest integrated energy and petrochemical company in the world,” Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Faleh said.

He said King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, which is an extension of Saudi Aramco’s corporate vision to create a knowledge-based society.

“The center is a great donation from Saudi Aramco to Saudi society, especially the youth, and it will be a unique cultural landmark that will engage in promoting innovation and enhancing interaction with different cultures,” Faleh added.

Prince Saud Bin Abdullah Bin Thunayyan, president of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, said King Salman will launch some of the world’s largest mining projects in Ras Al-Khair Industrial Area near Jubail on Tuesday.