RIYADH -- Saudi Arabia on Monday participated in the second edition of the G20 space economy leaders meeting, held in the Italian capital Rome.

The Kingdom’s delegation was headed by Saudi Space Commission's CEO Dr. Mohammad bin Saud Al-Tamimi.

The meeting discussed strengthening the role of space economy globally and its concrete contributions to facing global challenges and achieving sustainable development goals

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The participants included space agencies, bodies in the G20 member states, and a number of representatives of the invited countries and heads of international and regional organizations. The participants praised the Kingdom's efforts and initiative to organize the first meeting of space leaders during its presidency of the G20 last year.

Al-Tamimi stressed the Kingdom's great interest in space economy as one of the main targeted sectors in its Vision 2030.

“As the Kingdom attaches great importance to the field of space and its economy, as an extension of what it started with the first space flight in 1985, it aspires to be one of the leading countries in the field of space by 2030,” he said.

He said that the slogan of this year’s meeting “Space for People, Planet and Prosperity,” embodied the fact that space exploration is not only a scientific achievement, but is also an important economic resource, and a factor in the prosperity of mankind.

Al-Tamimi thanked Italy’s government, represented by the President of the Italian Space Agency, Giorgio Sacuccia, and the agency’s officials for their efforts in convening the second edition of “this important meeting.”

The Kingdom received widespread praise for its efforts and initiative to organize the first meeting of space leaders, which it included for the first time among the topics of the group’s agenda last year with the aim of enhancing space cooperation between countries to maximize the benefits of the space economy. -- SG/SPA