King Salman: Our nation needs its unity, solidarity

In his first televised address since the passing of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz on Friday, newly-crowned King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Friday called for solidarity and unity among Muslim and Arab nations.

“Our Arab and Islamic nation is in dire need today for its unity and solidarity,” King Salman was quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency as saying.

He also vowed to continue on the same path set by King Abdulaziz bin Saud, the founder of the Saudi state.

“We will remain, with God’s strength, attached to the straight path that this state has walked since its establishment by King Abdulaziz bin Saud, and by his sons after him,” he said in televised remarks carried by Al Arabiya News Channel.

“We will continue in this country - that Allah has honored with choosing it as the platform for His message and the Qibla of Muslims - our march in exerting all that boosts unity and the defense of our nation’s causes, guided by the teachings of the true Islamic religion which Allah has chosen for us as it is the religion of peace, mercy and moderation,” King Salman said.

“I ask Allah to guide me to serve our dear people and realize their hopes, and to preserve our country’s and our nation’s security and stability.”

Shortly after King Abdullah’s passing, King Salman received the pledge of allegiance as the country’s sovereign from members of the royal family and a group of the Kingdom's citizens, according to a statement from the royal court.

The statement announced that Crown Prince Muqrin also received the pledge of allegiance.

Born in 1935 in the capital Riyadh, King Salman is the 25th son of the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz bin Saud.

In 1954, at the age of 19, King Salman was appointed as the Emir of Riyadh, and governed the province for over 50 years. In 2011, King Salman was appointed the kingdom’s defense minister, overseeing the entire armed forces. In 2012, he was appointed crown prince.