RIYADH — Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah visited on Tuesday 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 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 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 SR200 billion.

The other was 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 SR60 billion.

The projects included the development of the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, at a cost of over SR64 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, Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman, 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.

He stressed 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. — SPA