Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information, Wednesday highlighted the progress and development achieved by the Kingdom under the reign of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The minister said the fifth anniversary of King Abdullah's ascension to the throne, observed on Wednesday across the Kingdom, provided a good opportunity to remember the bounties bestowed by Allah Almighty on this country. He said the sons of King Abdul Aziz, the Kingdom's founder, followed the footsteps of their great father, adding that King Abdullah has been continuing the country's wise policy which is based on the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). During the reign of King Abdullah, the minister noted, the Kingdom has attained great achievements. “King Abdullah has fulfilled the promise he made after becoming the monarch and the country has witnessed comprehensive development in all domains,” he said. “All citizens feel proud of the achievements accomplished in all domains since the assumption of power by King Abdullah,” he said, noting that the Monarch has been keen to attend to the affairs of citizens and provide them with all possible services in the educational, health, economic, media, cultural, and social fields. Khoja said King Abdullah's support for the Ministry of Culture and Information has enabled it to attain achievements in various sectors. He added that the ministry was keen to protect the rights of authors and that it was developing its programs in cooperation with other governmental sectors and institutions of civil society. His ministry, Khoja said, is keen on improving the investment environment for the publications industry. The minister noted the increasing number of television channels specialized in news, culture, economy, the Holy Qur'an, and Sunnah in addition to a channel for children as well as developmental steps at Saudi Radio and the Saudi Press Agency. “In the domain of foreign policy, King Abdullah has successfully tackled a number of Arab, Islamic and international issues and played a vital role as regards joint Arab work and the support of poor countries,” he said. Khoja highlighted the service extended by the Kingdom to Arab and Muslim causes, which has earned the Kingdom a distinguished position in the Arab and Muslim World. “It (the Kingdom) has become a reference for resolving problems in the region,” he said. “The Kingdom is now a distinguished partner of several international political and economic forums including the summit of G-20 for solving the global financial crisis,” the minister said.
