RIYADH: The Saudi ambassador to the Republic of Ivory Coast said that serving Muslim pilgrims during the season of Hajj remains a “firm principle” in the Kingdom’s policy. Ambassador Saad bin Bakhit Al-Qathami said that all the state’s capabilities have been harnessed to serve pilgrims in accordance with the directives of the Saudi leadership. The Makkah Route Initiative has contributed to facilitating the travel procedures of pilgrims from around the world, receiving a positive response among government, religious and media bodies in Ivory Coast for the second year in a row, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The ambassador said that the initiative this year has, for the first time, used mobile devices, equipped with artificial intelligence, to take the biometrics of its beneficiaries. Al-Qathami praised the success of the initiative in Ivory Coast, and “paid tribute to the close bilateral relations between the two friendly countries, which have been strengthened in all fields,” SPA said. He also thanked the Ivorian side for their cooperation in the implementation of the initiative.