RIYADH — The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is celebrating on Friday, Rabi Al-Akher 3, 1444, corresponding to Oct. 28, 2022, the eighth anniversary of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman’s accession to the throne as the Monarch of Saudi Arabia. The citizens as well as expatriates rejoice the historic moment at a time when the Kingdom is witnessing unprecedented economic boom and qualitative leap in all spheres of life with vigorously going ahead with social and economic reforms as it embarks on the second phase of the ambitious Saudi Vision 2030. As King Salman noted, “the essence of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 is to achieve prosperity, build a better future, and create a leading economy as well as a dynamic society engaged with the world.” With hearts full of love, peace of mind, and a sense of accomplishment and gratitude for the generous contribution by the state in all fields of life, Saudi citizens within the Kingdom and abroad are celebrating the historic occasion by reciprocating with their love and loyalty as they are rallying behind their leader. With all strength, determination, and firmness, King Salman is striving to achieve welfare and prosperity for citizens through a massive development drive encompassing all regions of the Kingdom. Ever since King Salman took the reins, the Kingdom has been witnessing mega-development projects across all the regions in various economic, education, health, social, transport, communications, technology, industrial, electricity, water and agricultural fields. This historic occasion coincides with the Kingdom’s successful withstanding of all the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic that upended the entire life of humanity for about two years. Saudi Arabia emerged as one of the most resilient countries in the world in fighting the pandemic with its bold, systematic and swift action and coordinated global response and thus boasts of having an economy least affected by the fallout of the pandemic. On the eve of the eighth anniversary, the Kingdom is making giant strides in its development march with the launching of several giga projects such as NEOM, Qiddiya, The Red Sea Project, and Diriyah Gate. Saudi Arabia is also in the forefront of promoting regional and world peace and ensuring a stable and balanced oil market. Inaugurating the 3rd year activities of the 8th session of the Shoura Council on Oct. 16, the King stated that Saudi Arabia embarked now on the 2nd phase of its Vision 2030, saying that the focus of this phase would be further facilitating the business environment, empowering citizens, and enhancing private sector engagement. King Salman announced that Saudi Arabia is striving to support the global oil market’s stability and balance especially at a time when the oil market is facing a volatile situation following the outbreak of war between Ukraine and Russia. Referring to the Kingdom’s economic boom, King Salman said that the country is witnessing a comprehensive and sustainable development march. “The Kingdom is moving at an accelerated pace in countering environmental challenges, notably climate change, targeting carbon neutrality. Saudi Arabia was able to reduce the effects of inflation by registering the lowest global inflation rates, thanks to its monetary, financial, and economic policies,” he said. Highlighting the Kingdom’s position as the leading nation in the Arab and Islamic world, the King said that Saudi Arabia, ever since its foundation, has been keen on shouldering its duties in the service of the Two Holy Mosques, as well as Islam and Muslims. “Saudi Arabia was and still is a mediator of peace and a beacon of humaneness for the entire world,” he said. Emphasizing the Kingdom’s foreign policy based on promoting world peace and ending conflicts, the King stressed the need to activate dialogue and negotiation to resolve conflicts in the world. He also reiterated the Kingdom’s firm resolve to support all efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. King Salman ascended the throne on Rabi Al-Akher 3, 1436, corresponding to January 23, 2015, after serving more than two and a half years as crown prince and deputy prime minister since he was appointed to this post on June 18, 2012. He also continued to remain in his position as minister of defense, a position to which he was appointed on Nov. 5, 2011. Prior to that, King Salman had been governor of the Riyadh Province for more than 50 years. Salman bin Abdul Aziz was born on Shawwal 5, 1354, corresponding to December 31, 1935 in Riyadh. He received early education at the Princes’ School in Riyadh, where he studied religious and modern sciences, and completed the Holy Qur’an in full at the age of ten, under the imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque in Makkah Sheikh Abdullah Khayat. Since childhood, Salman showed keen interest in science, and had received many honorary degrees and academic awards. Prince Salman assumed the position of Emir of Riyadh, one of the largest regions of Saudi Arabia in terms of area and population, and the capital of the state at an important stage in the history of the city, where he was initially appointed as acting emir at the age of 19, on March 16, 1954, and one year later appointed Emir with the rank of minister, on 18 April 1955. He served as Emir of the Riyadh region for more than five decades, during which he oversaw the transformation of the region from a medium-sized town of about 200,000 people to one of the fastest growing capitals in the Arab world. This period of growth was not without difficult challenges accompanying the development process, but he demonstrated a high degree of caliber and capability to take initiative and score achievements one after another. At present, the Saudi capital has become one of the richest cities in the region, and a regional center for travel and trade. During his tenure as the emir, Riyadh witnessed the completion of many major infrastructure projects, such as highways and modern roads, schools, hospitals, and universities, as well as museums, sports stadiums, and entertainment cities. The Saudi capital includes a number of prominent architectural monuments, and it extends over an urban area that makes it one of the largest cities in the world in terms of geographical area. The credit of Saudi Arabia being described as a Kingdom of Humanity in recent years goes mainly to King Salman, thanks to his extensive charitable work and initiatives, the latest of which is the humanitarian aid amounting to $400 million to alleviate the suffering of people affected by war in Ukraine, and the huge amount of aid to the flood victims of Pakistan. The King established the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Action, and holds the presidency of the King Salman Center for Disability Research, the honorary presidency of the Prince Fahd bin Salman Charitable Society for the care of patients with renal failure, and the honorary presidency of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, among others. Since 1956, King Salman has chaired the board of directors of many humanitarian and service committees that have taken over the responsibilities of support and relief work in many afflicted areas around the world, whether areas affected by wars or natural disasters. For his humanitarian efforts, the King has received many decorations and medals from several countries.