Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, declared on Thursday that his country has the honor of looking after the two holy mosques and holy sites, and serving the pilgrims. He vowed that it will continue to forge ahead along this path that was paved by past kings, starting with the founder King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince Mohammed held at the Royal Court in Mina Palace the annual reception for senior Islamic figures, guests of the two holy mosques, government agencies, and heads of delegations and Hajj affairs offices that had taken part in this year’s annual pilgrimage. The guests included Albanian President Bajram Begaj, Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, Vice President of Türkiye Cevdet Yilmaz, Vice President of the Maldives Hussain Mohamed Latheef, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, PM of Mauritania Mokhtar Ould Djay, PM of Guinea Amadou Oury Bah and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani. Crown Prince Mohammed welcomed the guests and congratulated them on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, which started on Wednesday. Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, receives leaders, senior Islamic figures, and guests at the Mina Palace on Thursday. (SPA) He asked God Almighty to accept the pilgrimage of those who performed the Hajj and hoped that they would return to their homes safely. He also hoped that the Almighty would protect the Kingdom and ensure its security and prosperity. Present at the reception was Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister Dr. Tawfig Al-Rabiah, who hailed the efforts and preparations for the pilgrimage that had kicked off in 2025 and were overseen by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed. Their efforts reflect the firm care the Kingdom shows to the guests of the two holy mosques, he added. Al-Rabiah said that under the supervision of the Supreme Hajj Committee and efforts of more than 60 government agencies, performance was unified and efforts were integrated. He stressed that in the field of service development, direct contracting was opened for pilgrim affairs offices in a competitive environment among qualified national companies. Applications for more than one million pilgrims were processed more than six months before the start of the Hajj, in a historic achievement that reflects the high level of readiness and early preparation to serve the pilgrims. On the security level, he noted that the "No Hajj without a permit" campaign was intended to reinforce discipline and facilitate crowd management in a safe environment, ensuring that the pilgrims performed the Hajj smoothly and with ease. Al-Rabiah explained that more than 8 million cubic meters of water were provided in Makkah and the holy sites. Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, greets the guests at the Mina Palace. (SPA) More than 173,000 flights were received from 366 destinations around the world, and more than 5,300 trips were made on the Haramain train, and more than 2,000 on the Al-Mashaer train, he continued. More than 24,000 buses were involved in transporting the pilgrims. The Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites implemented more than 25 development projects, added Al-Rabiah. On digital transformation, the "Nusk" application was developed to provide more than 130 digital services that facilitate the pilgrims’ journey from their country until the completion of the rituals, he added. Digital services helped improve the efficiency of procedures related to the Hajj, such as organizing contracts, issuing visas, employing monitoring and control systems, and utilizing data analysis and artificial intelligence, he explained. Crown Prince Mohammed threw a luncheon banquet in honor of the guests. In a post on the X platform, Syrian FM Shaibani said he was "honored to meet Crown Prince Mohammed at the annual reception at the Mina Palace." He added that he conveyed to him the greetings of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, expressing Syria's "appreciation for Saudi Arabia’s efforts in serving the Hajj pilgrims and the praising the warm welcomed accorded to the Syrian pilgrims."
