The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (SPA)

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz today completes his first year as the seventh king of modern Saudi Arabia. During this period King Salman has proved his success in drawing up and announcing a new state with new systems managed by the second and third generations whilst maintaining the approach of the former kings of the country; King Abdulaziz who was followed by Kings Saud, Faisal, Khalid, Fahd and Abdullah (may God have mercy on them) who achieved great successes during the years that they ruled the country.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques reformed the internal and foreign policy of Saudi Arabia in the last annual speech which he gave at the opening of the Consultative Council’s new session and stressed that his country considers Saudi citizens as the “first goal of development”. He also touched upon the security challenges faced by Saudi Arabia and other Islamic countries and stressed Saudi Arabia’s keenness to “defend Arab and Islamic issues in the international arena”.

Many agree that King Salman has a powerful personality and a significant presence in all fields since the days when he was the prince of Riyadh and has a particular charisma which has led some to describe him as “the founder of the fourth Saudi state” and this is what caused the Secretary General of the UN Ban Ki-moon to say that “What King Salman achieved in ten days would usually take a hundred days for new leaders to achieve”.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques selected Prince Mohammad bin Nayef to be crown prince and chairman of the Council for Political and Security Affairs which has recorded a series of triumphs in eliminating sources of terrorism and terrorist cells which have affected the country.

King Salman also appointed Prince Mohammed bin Salman as deputy crown prince, chairman of the Board of Economic Affairs and Development and minister of defence, and he has made great achievements on the political, social and economic scene.

Perhaps the most notable successes of King Salman on the domestic level are development, fighting terrorism and the launch of economic reforms to diversify sources of income. On an international level, the most important triumphs are defending the nation’s issues, contributing impressively to the restoration of legitimacy in Yemen through operations Decisive Storm and Restore Hope and the announcement of an Islamic coalition to fight terrorism in all its types and forms.