Riyadh, SPA:
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received at his palace in Riyadh yesterday the National Guard guests, including scholars, writers, thinkers and media representatives from inside and outside the Kingdom who came to attend the 26th National Festival for Heritage and Culture, currently ongoing in Al-Janadriyah on the northern outskirts of the city of Riyadh.
At the outset of the audience, verses of the holy Quran were recited.
In a speech on behalf of the guests of the National Guard, Al-Naha bint Wild Miknas expressed condolence to the monarch on the sad demise of Her Royal Highness Princess Sita bint Abdulaziz who passed away the day before yesterday.
Bint Wild Miknas congratulated the King on recovery, good health and safe return to the Kingdom following a successful medical trip abroad recently.
She also extended her congratulations to the King for the high prestigious status this festival is occupying in the international cultural events map, depicting it as an annual appointment that reflects part of the cultural and civilizational revelation from the land of the Mohammadian Mission and providing room for reviewing the tense issues of the Islamic nation and other parts of the world. She cited the Islam phobia symposium within this year's festival as yet a new evidence for the interest of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in Muslim circumstances and the current and future of their relations with others.
She said she is proud to have presented some proposals to this symposium to confront this increasing phenomenon of Islam phobia and to support the King's initiative for dialogue among the followers of religions.
Addressing the gathering, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud welcomed the guests for coming to their second country: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
'You deserve the most warmest welcome and generous hospitality accorded to you. I thank you for the words you have uttered and the activities you have performed before your brother’s the Muslims and Arabs which will be memorized by history. I beg your pardon that I did not readied myself enough for you. I thank you once again and wish you every success. Sorry, because I will shake hands with you while I will be sitting', he said.
Then the guests greeted the monarch one by one.
The audience was attended by Prince Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet, Commander of the National Guard and Chairman of the High Organizing Committee for the National Festival for Heritage and Culture; Prince Abdullah bin Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz; Prince Saad bin Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz; Prince Khalid bin Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz; Prince Badr bin Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz; Abdulmohsen bin Abdulaziz Al-Tuwaijri, Deputy Chairman of the Festival's High Organizing Committee and a number of officials.
Then the guests and the attendees had a luncheon with the monarch.