RIYADH — The Shoura Council Speaker Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Ibrahim Al-Sheikh Saturday received at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo the Arab Parliament’s Award for the NEOM project as the best Arab project to achieve sustainable development in 2021.

The Speaker also received the Arab Parliament’s Award for the Middle East Green Initiative, which was announced by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy prime minister and minister of defense, as the best Arab initiative for the year 2021.

The Speaker received the two awards from the Arab Parliament President Adel Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Asoumi and the Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in the presence of the heads of Arab legislative councils and parliaments on the sidelines of the fourth conference of the Arab Parliament and the heads of Arab councils and parliaments, which started in Cairo.

The Arab Parliament awarded the NEOM project and the Middle East Green Initiative as the best Arab projects and initiatives for the year 2021 due to their role in promoting the concept of the future and sustainable development, as one of the models for building generations, creating smart cities, and supporting efforts to preserve the environment.

Sheikh Dr. Al-Sheikh, in his speech at the conference, extended appreciation to the Arab Parliament by granting the “NEOM” project and the “Middle East Green Initiative” awards for the best Arab development project.

He added that these awards represent an appreciation for the efforts and role of the Kingdom in various fields, under the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

Moreover, the Speaker praised, in his speech, the conference document entitled “A Parliamentary Vision to Achieve Security and Stability and Advance the Current Arab Reality”, which will be submitted to the Arab leaders in their next meeting, highlighting the initiatives of Crown Prince Muhammad — Saudi Green and Middle East Green Initiatives, and the Kingdom's keenness to join efforts with Arab countries to make these initiatives a success.

Sheikh Dr. Al-Sheikh underlined the importance of coordinating Arab stances to unify parliamentary diplomatic efforts towards Arab issues in all regional and international forums to serve the interests of the Arab citizens.

“The Kingdom, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, continues to exert great efforts to ensure the stability of Yemen at the political and economic levels to achieve the aspirations of the Yemeni people of security, stability, and sustainable development in all aspects of life.

“It will continue to support all initiatives and efforts at the regional and international levels to reach a comprehensive political solution to the crisis in Yemen per the three references represented by the Gulf initiative and its executive mechanism, the outcomes of the comprehensive National Dialogue Conference, and the Security Council Resolution 2216, as well as the Kingdom’s recent initiative to end the crisis in Yemen,” he said.

The Speaker stressed the seriousness of the Houthi militia’s terrorism against the Yemeni people, its rejection of peace initiatives, its continuous attacks on civil and economic facilities in the Kingdom and the UAE, and its threat to international navigation and international energy supplies.

He added that the Kingdom is one of the largest donor countries to Yemen, with the volume of aid provided by the Kingdom in recent years amounting to more than $19.3 billion.

He explained that the Kingdom is following with great concern the Iranian regime's destabilizing policy of security and stability in the region, including the establishment and support of sectarian and armed militias and the systematic deployment of their military capabilities in the Arab region.

He reiterated the Kingdom’s condemnation of the terrorist attack against the UAE, while stressing at the same time the importance of preserving the international security and stability. — SPA