Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud review the honor guard during a welcoming ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Feb. 26, 2017. (Xinhua/pool)
KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia and Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday that the two countries agree to strengthen military cooperation and tackle terrorism.
In a joint statement released upon the completion of the state visit by Saudi king Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to Malaysia, the two sides have agreed to strengthen the bilateral military cooperation by developing areas of joint training and exercise, and exchange of military experience.
The two countries also agreed, among others, on the need to intensify and concert joint efforts to confront extremism and reject sectarianism.
"The two sides agreed that the terrorism phenomenon should not be linked to any race, colour or religion," said the statement.
During the king's visit, Saudi Aramco and Petronas, the two national oil companies from Saudi Arabia and Malaysia respectively, entered into partnership in which Saudi Aramco will invest 7 billion U.S. dollars in a refinery in the southern Malaysian state of Johor, called Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo (R) and visiting Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud wave to journalists at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, Indonesia, March 1, 2017. (Xinhua/Zulkarnain)
BOGOR, Indonesia, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The governments of Indonesia and Saudi Arabia have pledged to jointly fight radicalism and strengthen cooperation on investment, trade and fishery.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud met at the presidential palace located in a botanical garden in Bogor town near the country's capital of Jakarta on Wednesday.
"For Indonesia, Saudi Arabia is one of the most important partners in the Middle East," said Widodo.
The president said that he was confident that Indonesia could be a strategic partner in reaching Saudi Arabia's 2030 vision through stronger economic ties.
President Widodo and King Salman witnessed the signing of agreements on cooperation in areas of fighting crimes, trade, investment, fishery, research and technology, high education, culture and health.
Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (1st R) meets with visiting Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud (1st L) at the Istana Nurul Iman palace in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, March 4, 2017. (Xinhua/Jeffrey Wong)
TOKYO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Japan and Saudi Arabia agreed here on Monday on a "Saudi-Japan Vision 2030" plan to advance bilateral economic ties.
The plan was announced after a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the visiting King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.
"I feel that the plan will further strengthen the strategic partnership between our countries," said the 81-year-old king at the beginning of the summit.
Abe, for his part, said that he wants Japan to "boldly advance ties with Saudi Arabia, the country key to the stability of the Middle East."
Part of the plan involves setting up special economic zones in the Middle East country to attract Japanese investment by easing regulations and simplifying customs procedures.
The two sides will also advance negotiations over listing Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia's national oil company, on the Tokyo Stock Exchange as part of its partial privatization, according to the plan.
In a bid to diversify its heavily oil-dependent economy, Saudi Arabia has announced a "Saudi Vision 2030" growth strategy last year, which includes privatizing some state-owned companies.
Japan, for its part, has hoped to make use of the opportunities to deepen economic ties with the Middle East country, which is also Japan's largest supplier of crude oil.
Other cooperation initiatives in the plan include intensifying efforts to realize seawater desalination projects and boosting cooperate in promoting renewable energy use in Saudi Arabia.
King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and his delegation arrived in Tokyo Sunday evening for a four-day visit. It was the first trip to Japan by a Saudi Arabian king in 46 years.
Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al Saud (C) waves to parliament members during his visit to the Indonesian parliament in Jakarta March 2, 2017. (Xinhua/Agung Kuncahya B.)
BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia is scheduled to pay a state visit to China from March 15 to March 18 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The following is a brief profile of King Salman.
Born on Dec. 31, 1935 in Riyadh, Salman is the 25th son of the desert kingdom's founder Abdulaziz bin Saud, who conquered his rivals and welded disparate regions of the Arabian Peninsula into a kingdom in 1932.
For almost five decades, Salman had served as governor of Riyadh Province since 1963, home to the capital city. In 2011, he served as minister of defense following the death of his brother Prince Sultan. In June 2012, he was appointed as crown prince and also made first deputy prime minister and defense minister.
On Jan. 23, 2015, Salman, aged 79, succeeded as the seventh king of the kingdom after his half-brother Abdullah died of pneumonia. He has also served as prime minister.
Salman paid two visits to China in 1999 as governor of Riyadh and in 2014 as crown prince, respectively.
