“2,716,858 Umrah visas have been issued this Umrah season with 2,272,163 pilgrims arrived by air, 133,110 arrived by land and 7,299 arrived by sea. Those who arrived included 568,536 Pakistanis, 505,217 Indonesians, 292,822 Indians, 137,834 Egyptians, 124,951 Malaysians, 94,854 Turks, 90,894 Bangladeshis and 89,006 Algerians.”
–Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, announcing the latest data on Umrah visits issued this year. This year’s Umrah season extends from August 17, 2019 to June 21, 2020. Although there is a surge of Umrah pilgrims during the annual Hajj, pilgrims visit Saudi Arabia during much of the year. [arabnews.com]
“The disturbed and radicalized individual who carried out this terrible attack acted alone. He does not represent the hundreds of thousands of Saudis who have lived, studied and trained in the United States over the past several decades, nor does his heinous act represent the values of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has fully cooperated with American investigators looking into the motivations of the attacker. Saudi Arabia will continue to cooperate with US authorities should they require additional information.”
-Statement from the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Washington following the conclusion of an investigation into the Shooting at an airbase in Pensacola, Florida. [Saudiembassy.net]
“The U.S. is a strategic partner and it has a big role in terms of international security….We are leaving it to our friends of the U.S. to conduct themselves in a manner they see fit in attending to a situation like this.”
-Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy, discussing the recent heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran with CNBC’s Hadley Gamble. The Prince also said Saudi Arabia “will continue to do all it can do to ensure stable oil markets.” [CNBC.com]
Although the Saudi Ministry of Labour and Social Development, “has until now, stepped back from stating that mixed gender work environments are now permissible with integrated work spaces, we have seen over the past year an erosion within public spaces of gender segregation; notably in some government offices and in many public spaces including restaurants, airport lounges, train lounges, leisure activities, hotels, and accommodation centers.”
–Sara Khoja and Sarit Thomas, lawyers for Clyde & Company, examining recent Saudi regulations regarding women in the workplace.
“The Kingdom and its leadership always stand with brotherly Iraq and will do everything in its power to spare it the danger of war and conflict between external parties, and for its generous people to live in prosperity after what they have endured in the past.”
–Prince Khalid bin Salman, Deputy Minister of Defense, in a statement on Twitter. [reuters.com]
“That Saudi officials want de-escalation in the Gulf is new evidence of an evolving strategy for a more pragmatic management of regional challenges. In the aftermath of the September 14, 2019, attacks on Aramco, the crown prince expressed a similar de-escalatory tone in a TV interview. Yet this new pragmatism seems not to have factored into the U.S. calculus, as the assassination of Solemaini has put the kingdom in Iran’s crosshairs.”
–Yasmine Farouk, commenting in an article for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, assessing Riyadh’s take on the Soleimani killing. [carnegieendowment.org/]
“30,000 new licenses had been issued [to women drivers] between February and March this year, a positive and encouraging increase which has nearly doubled the number of female drivers on Saudi roads after a slow uptake which saw only 40,000 licenses issued in the first six months of 2018.”
-The Saudi Gazette, in a report on the impact that women drivers are having on the Saudi automotive market. [Saudi Gazette]
“Recent figures from global research and analytics firm, Aranca revealed that 30,000 new licenses [to female drives] had been issued between February and March 2019, a positive and encouraging increase which has nearly doubled the number of female drivers on Saudi roads after a slow uptake which saw only 40,000 licenses issued in the first six months of 2018.”
The Saudi Gazette reports on the how the influx of Saudi women drivers is shaping the automotive market in the kingdom.
“We should all be bracing for a ferocious response. The stage is set for a retaliatory spiral that could keep markets on edge well into 2020.”
–Helima Croft, chief commodities strategist at RBC Capital Markets, on what to expect from markets this week in the wake of the U.S. assassination of Qassem Soleimani. The killing reverberated through Middle Eastern markets, sending stocks nosediving and setting the tone for what’s likely to be a volatile week. [Bloomberg.com]
