Business & Money | Friday 25 November, 2016 2:19 am |

Earlier, upon arrival on the premises of the Eastern Province governorate, the venue of the reception, the King was received by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, and Prince Saud Bin Naif, emir of the Eastern Province.

Madinah Emir Prince Faisal Bin Salman, Prince Rakan Bin Salman, and several other princes, ministers, civilian and military officials and several citizens attended the function.

The King said Saudi citizens have always showed that they are aware of their responsibility and they formed, together with their leadership and government, “a bulwark against the spiteful and greedy and thus foiled a lot of plots targeting the Kingdom, especially its youth and their capabilities”.

The King thanked the people of the Eastern Province for their warm welcome and wished the country and people a bright and prosperous future. He also prayed to Almighty Allah to bestow the Kingdom with security and prosperity and shower His mercy upon its sons who died protecting their nation and religion.

Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Faleh said King Salman will launch a number of mega oil projects of Saudi Aramco, and the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture at a ceremony to be held in Dhahran on Friday.

“These projects would further increase the capacity of the Kingdom’s oil and gas production and will consolidate the country’s position as the leading energy exporter in the world. The projects would contribute significantly to realizing the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 through setting the ground for sustainable expansion and diversification of the national economy and increase its production capacity, in addition to strengthening the position of Saudi Aramco as the largest integrated energy and petrochemical company in the world,” he said.

King Salman will inaugurate the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, which is an extension of Saudi Aramco’s corporate vision and a continuation of its work to create a knowledge society.

Faleh said the Center is a great donation from Saudi Aramco to Saudi society, especially the youth, and it will be a unique cultural landmark that will engage in promoting innovation and enhancing interaction with different cultures, besides strengthening efforts to build a knowledge-based economy.

The King will launch four multibillion oil projects of Saudi Aramco. They include projects to increase the capacities of Manifa field, the fifth largest oil field in the world, and the Wasit Gas Plant, and the expansion of Khurais oil field and Shaybah oil field in the Empty Quarter (Rub Al-Khali).