Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah today visited the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) where he met with OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha, delegates, representatives and consuls of OIC member states and its subsidiary institutions.
Discussions centered on the efforts and arrangements made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj. The minister briefed his interlocutors on the initiatives and procedures taken to provide the best conditions for pilgrims to perform their rituals comfortably.
The minister stressed that health, organizational, service, logistical and security authorities have been instrumental in ensuring that performing Hajj and Umrah is successful, underlining that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud launched the Pilgrim Experience Program, one of the Saudi Vision 2030 initiatives, with the aim of raising the level of services provided to pilgrims, and thus enriching their experience.
Among the major projects aimed at serving pilgrims he mentioned the expansion of the Grand Holy Mosque, the largest construction in history, at a cost of over SAR200 billion, establishing Al-Haramain High Speed Railway, which reduced the distance between Makkah and Madinah to about two hours, thus improving pilgrims’ travel and movement, at an estimated cost of SAR60 billion, the development of the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, at a cost of over SAR64 billion, and the development of historical mosques and Islamic archaeological sites, with the aim of creating a rich experience for pilgrims.
Taha expressed appreciation and gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the Saudi government, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and all state sectors for their efforts to facilitate the procedures required of pilgrims, umrah performers and visitors to the Two Holy Mosques.
Ambassador of Djibouti to Saudi Arabia and its Permanent Representative to OIC Dya-Eddine Said Bamakhrama delivered a speech on behalf of the permanent representatives, stressing that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, since its founding by the late King Abdulaziz until the present, has provided services and implemented several expansions to the Two Holy Mosques and holy sites.
Source: Saudi Press Agency