Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has been working hard to unify Arab ranks and strengthen Islamic solidarity amid big challenges and dangers facing the Arab and Muslim nation. The crown prince made the remarks in an address on the 2nd anniversary for King Salman's accession to the Saudi throne. The crown prince said King Salman has been keen to bolster the ties of brotherhood among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries in all areas, the Saudi Press Agency reported. While praying to Allah Almighty to protect King Salman and grant him success in all his endeavors for the nation and humanity at large, Prince Muhammad said "this is an occasion dear to the sons of this nation to express loyalty to their King". Crown Prince Muhammad described King Salman as a great and firm leader. With his determination and firmness, the country has made big strides toward advancement, prosperity, security, tranquility and stability. With King Salman's wisdom, the Kingdom has occupied a high place in various arenas, he added. King Salman served the two holy mosques and gave Haj pilgrims, Umrah performers and visitors utmost care and attention by providing them with all facilities. During King Salman's era, the tempo of development was faster based on a comprehensive national strategy that accommodated the requirements of national growth and met the aspirations of the people. The Kingdom has been able to maintain security and stability, which is a great achievement compared to the situation in many other countries of the world, which are reeling under persistent unrest and turmoil, deterioration of security and increasing crime rates. The Kingdom has made tangible progress in countering terrorism. It has foiled several attempts to smuggle narcotic drugs into the country and dried up sources of funding for terrorist and criminal acts through preemptive strikes and strong security preparedness, Prince Muhammad said. The Kingdom is providing assistance to the needy and people devastated by natural disasters in different parts of the world, he added. Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, said the Kingdom had become an international meeting point, the focus of global attention and destination of many leaders and presidents over the past two years. "Their aim is to bolster joint relations, develop mutual interests and to continuously coordinate and consult one another on regional and international developments," the deputy crown prince said in a statement on the occasion of the second anniversary of King Salman's accession. He said under the leadership of King Salman, the Kingdom has made many external accomplishments that have increased the Kingdom's political weight and global status. "These were expressed by the exceptional welcome the Saudi monarch was accorded during his visits to several sisterly and friendly countries," Prince Muhammad Bin Salman said. Amid the many challenges facing the region, the Kingdom under the leadership of King Salman has taken the initiative to guarantee the security and stability of Arab countries and to protect their territorial integrity, Prince Muhammad said. \He said King Salman is always keen to serve Islam and Muslim causes and achieve the advancement of this blessed country, commensurate with its status as the Qiblah of all Muslims and the country of the two holy mosques. Prince Muhammad said the King took the initiative to announce the Saudi Vision 2030 that aims to take the Kingdom to wider horizons economically. Under the leadership of King Salman, the Kingdom has shown its high capability to interact efficiently with the difficult global economic situation, he said. Under his leadership, the Kingdom has continued to repulse terrorism through effective preemptive confrontations and drying the sources of terror funding. The era of King Salman witnessed a qualitative change in administering and governing the country as well as tackling the internal and external challenges, a number of regional emirs and ministers have confirmed. Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir said since King Salman's accession to the throne, the government has been keen to follow a balanced, calm and composed foreign policy drawing on past experiences in dealing with the security challenges facing the Kingdom. "The King makes sure that the Kingdom keeps pace with the exigencies of the latest developments and dangers lurking in the region, which in most cases are due to violent extremism and waves of widespread terrorism joining forces," he said in a statement to SPA. Several other officials, including Khalid Bin Abdullah Al-Araj, minister of civil service; Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, minister of health; Mohammed Al-Jadaan, minister of finance; Abdulrahman Al-Fadli, minister of environment, water and agriculture; Ali Al-Ghafis, minister of labor and social development; Haj and Umrah Minister Muhammad Saleh Bin Taher Benten; and Mohammed Bin Faisal Abu Saq, minister of state for Shoura Council Affairs, also issued similar statements exuding confidence in King Salman's strategic policy initiatives.
