The Kingdom has made remarkable progress in all spheres since King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, ascended the throne seven years ago. King Abdullah's ascension to the throne and the anniversary of pledging allegiance to him (Jamad Al-Thani 26) falls on Thursday. During the past seven years, the Kingdom has embarked upon developmental projects worth billions of riyals even as a major recession continues to affect well-established businesses around the globe. In statements on the occasion, Emirs, senior ministers, princes and high-ranking officials have lauded the major achievements of King Abdullah. Crown Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, said: “The King is not only a statesman, but the leader of a nation achieving gigantic accomplishments in all fields and making all efforts to advance the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to an exalted position in the world.” He said that during the King's prosperous era the Kingdom has witnessed enormous local and global achievements in record time. The Crown Prince added that King Abdullah has administered the affairs of the country in a unique and balanced manner. “The King has been concerned about all affairs of Islam and Muslims and has provided the best services to pilgrims through the expansion of the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah and colossal accomplishments in the holy sites that will make him a leader remembered in history,” he said. The Crown Prince said the King has played a significant role in unifying Arab and Islamic ranks, defending the issues of Arab and Islamic nations, spreading the culture of dialogue, peaceful coexistence and successfully tackling the menace of terrorism. Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Defense, said during the King's prosperous era the Kingdom has taken qualitative steps in all fields including education, health, social care and services for the prosperity of citizens and the progress of the homeland. Under the wise leadership of the King, Prince Salman noted, the Armed Forces have witnessed development and progress in various fields. “Military personnel are more ready and prepared to perform their mission to defend the homeland from any threat or external aggression,” he said. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Foreign Minister, said King Abdullah propounded the national dialogue, the dialogue between Muslim scholars, and the dialogue among the followers of religions, cultures and civilizations. He added that the King has achieved remarkable accomplishments at all levels in the service of religion, the homeland and citizens, and in the service of international peace and security. King Abdullah's primary concern, he said, was to “bring justice and serve all the people of this country”. He said that the last seven years had seen “uncomfortable regional and international developments” bringing challenges that King Abdullah “has handled wisely and prudently”. “He has balanced efforts between solving issues and preventing further threats to the Kingdom and keeping the internal development process on course and extending it to all social, economic, cultural and scientific areas,” Saud said. Emirs of all regions commended the King's prosperous era which has been characterized by the vast number of large economic, social, and educational projects. They praised the King who “through his expertise and skills in leadership has strengthened the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at regional, global, political, economic, and commercial levels.” The Emirs included Prince Sattam Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh region; Prince Abdulaziz Bin Majed Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Madina region; Prince Mishari Bin Saud, Governor of Baha region; Prince Faisal Bin Khaled, Emir of Asir region; Prince Fahd Bin Sultan, Emir of Tabuk region; and Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, Special Advisor to Prince Salman, the Minister of Defense. Dr. Yusuf Al-Othaimeen, Minister of Social Affairs, said during the seven years of King Abdullah's reign several development projects worth billions of riyals have been undertaken so that sustainable development prevails throughout the Kingdom . Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Barrak, Minister of Civil Service, said that the King has issued, over seven years of his prosperous era, a number of historical decisions on employment including the increase of salaries by 15 percent, an allowance for living expenses of 15 percent, the transfer from temporary to permanent jobs of 120,000 employees in 1426H and 205,000 in 1432H, and two-month's salary as an allowance for all government employees. Abdulaziz Al-Tuwaijri, President of the General Organization for Seaports, said that projects worth SR4 billion are under implementation. He also noted that a new SR2 billion seaport at Ras Al-Khair is already up and running. Ali Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, said that during the past seven years the Kingdom has achieved much in social welfare, economic prosperity, and scientific, technical, industrial and commercial development. With these achievements, the Kingdom is now placed among the world's top 20 countries in terms of leading the global economy and influencing it during the 21st century. Adel Al-Fakieh, Minister of Labor, said that during the prosperous era of King Abdullah, the country for the first time introduced an unemployment allowance for jobless Saudi youth. Under the directives of King Abdullah, Fakieh said, his ministry launched the Nitaqat program to boost the Saudization of jobs in the private sector. Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Ibrahim, Governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation, lauded the King's support for the corporation's projects with great financial allocations. __
