Al-Balawi extended his congratulations to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the success and completion of Hajj season this year Gen. Awwad Eid Al-Balawi has been the director-general of Border Guards since January 2014. He was appointed acting director-general of the Border Guard in August 2014 following the death of Gen. Zamim Al-Sawat. Al-Balawi extended his congratulations to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the success and completion of Hajj season this year. He said: “The state has made every effort to provide all the human and material resources and these efforts culminated in a successful pilgrimage season witnessed and conveyed by the local, Arab and international media.” Al-Balawi added: “It is a great responsibility that is taken very seriously by the country from which Islam has stemmed, to serve Islam and Muslims from all parts of the world in a moderate Islamic approach.” He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Pakistan Naval Academy and master’s degree from the World Maritime University in Sweden. Al-Balawi previously held various other positions, completed several advanced training courses and attended local and international conferences on conflict management, negotiation skills, problem analysis, crisis environmental management, decision-making and piracy. He also served as the chairman of the standing committee for the management of maritime disasters and participated in the work of international committees fighting piracy. Al-Balawi was also a member of the Saudi delegation at International Maritime Organization meetings. The Border Guard, based in Riyadh, maintains security on the Kingdom’s 8,000-km sea and land borders.