File photo of Prince Khalid Bin Bandar Bin Abdulaziz (SPA)

Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—“My main goal is to serve the capital and study its requirements in all fields and to give it attention once I have a good grasp of what is happening upon taking office.”” said Prince Khalid Bin Bandar Bin Abdulaziz, Emir of the Riyadh Region. He was appointed on Thursday by a royal order.

In a telephone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Prince Khalid said that he and his deputy, Prince Turki Bin Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, are honored to work at the principality of the region, which had been assumed throughout the past period by Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz and then Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz, noting that the two princes had actively contributed to formulating the broad outlines “and this will reflect positively on my next mission.”

He added: “I am one of the servants of the homeland, and I take pride in the confidence of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, custodian of the two holy mosques. I will seek to achieve the aspirations of the king and the crown prince, which are primarily aimed at serving the citizens.”

Before his appointment, Prince Khalid had occupied the post of commander of the Saudi Ground Forces. He holds an MA in military science from the Command and Staff College. He received several medals and decorations internally and externally. The prince started his military career by joining the First Battalion of the Fourth Armored Brigade, and then became an operations officer at the Armor Corps Command. He became the assistant commander in chief of the same service for two years. When he was promoted to the rank of staff major general in 1997, he was appointed as commander of the Armor Corps, and then a deputy commander of the Ground Forces. A royal decree was issued in 2011 promoting him to the rank of staff lieutenant general and commander of the Ground Forces.

Prince Khalid attended advanced courses for armor officers in Saudi Arabia and the United States. He also took part in several field exercises, conducted several external visits, and served on joint cooperation committees between Saudi Arabia and other countries.

The new prince of Riyadh was with the forces that took part in the operation to liberate Kuwait (Desert Shield and Desert Storm) and was asked to participate in the recent operations of the southern shield. He also chaired the Saudi-Russian Military Committee.