MAKKAH — Acting President of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) Dr. Fahd bin Hassan Al Aqran expressed his gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman for the royal order attaching Umm Al-Qura newspaper to SPA. He pointed out that this measure will contribute to strengthening the march of the two institutions, which are considered the core pivot of the official media in Saudi Arabia.

In his statement after the conclusion of the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of Umm Al-Qura, Dr. Al Aqran said that the newspaper, which was founded by late King Abdulaziz in 1343 Hijri (1924) as the first official newspaper of the state, was accorded a great attention by him and his sons, the righteous rulers until the current era of King Salman. The newspaper carried reliable press materials about the history of the Kingdom over the past century, and it became the subject of study by many researchers and enthusiasts in the history of the Saudi state and its regulations and laws since the reign of King Abdulaziz until the present time.

He added that Umm Al-Qura newspaper chronicles the actual beginning of the Saudi media during the reign of King Abdulaziz after security and stability were established in the country. The media, during his reign, witnessed gradual stages of development and growth.

The Saudi media was given a dimension of another kind that manifested itself in carrying out the tasks of community service and awareness, highlighting the march of building the Kingdom and its prosperity, especially after the unification of the state. It worked to document King Abdulaziz’s efforts in developing the country and enhancing its glory, foremost of which is his interest in the service of pilgrims, Umrah performers and visitors to the Prophet's Mosque, not to mention his interest in strengthening the Kingdom's cooperation and relations with other countries of the world.

The SPA president explained that Umm Al-Qura newspaper and SPA are the official voice of the state and meet in common professional directions represented in publishing the official news of the leadership and the Council of Ministers with its decisions, regulations and legislation, which the citizen and follower of Saudi affairs await, especially after publishing its summary by SPA and then publishing its details in Umm Al-Qura newspaper.

Dr. Al Aqran explained that the work of SPA and Umm Al-Qura newspaper, after merging under one umbrella, will add more harmony to the media action between them, especially toward spreading the message of the sober and successful official media.

He further said that SPA, which was established more than 50 years ago, is a reliable historical media window that over five decades has looked at the history and present of the Kingdom, and its news materials have become an important part of historical documents that monitored and documented important stages in the country's development march. He indicated that SPA is witnessing this year a unique leap represented in the start of the implementation of developmental media projects due to its new strategy approved by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in order to advance its role, and Umm Al-Qura newspaper will be within the framework of this trend to support their media role in light of the amazing progress that the Kingdom is experiencing in various fields in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

At the conclusion of his statement, the acting president of the Saudi Press Agency thanked Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of Makkah region for honoring the centenary celebrations. He praised the efforts of the acting Minister of Media and SPA Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi and his continuous support for the Saudi media in general, and SPA in particular, until it accomplished this important step in the history of the Saudi media; the merger of Umm Al-Qura newspaper with the country’s official news agency. — SPA