CAIRO: The Speaker of the Arab Parliament, Adel Al-Asoumi, on Thursday praised the great efforts of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to facilitate all services for Hajj pilgrims.

Al-Asoumi said in a statement that these efforts are a source of pride for the entire Islamic nation and reflect the generous care given by the king and his government, represented by ministries and sectors, to facilitate the performance of the Hajj ritual.

One million pilgrims from across the world amassed on Thursday in the holy city of Makkah to begin the Hajj ritual, marking the largest Islamic pilgrimage since the coronavirus pandemic upended the annual event.

He said this has been seen through the launch of several strategic initiatives within the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which aimed to developing the Hajj and Umrah sector to achieve the aspirations of the Saudi leadership.

Al-Asoumi praised all the measures that the Kingdom has taken to receive the pilgrims, as well as strengthening the precautionary and preventive measures to ensure their health and safety, to enable them to perform the ritual with ease and comfort.

The Arab Parliament speaker said the Kingdom’s unremitting efforts are not something new, and it has provided an inspiring lesson in crisis management after two exceptional seasons under the COVID-19 pandemic, during which Saudi Arabia proved to the whole world its ability to overcome any crises that may face pilgrims, facilitate their rituals, provide maximum comfort and concern for their health under exceptionally challenging circumstances.