Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Inaugurates Works of 4th Year of 7th Session of Shura Council

Riyadh, November 20, 2019, SPA -- The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud inaugurated here today the works of 4th year of 7th session of the Shura Council in presence of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud delivered the following annual royal speech: In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful, Praise be to Allah who says in the Holy Quran, " Their affairs are conducted by consultation'', and prayers and peace be upon the most honorable Prophet, Dear Brothers and sisters, members of the Shura Council, Allah's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you. We are pleased to inaugurate the works of the fourth year of the seventh session of the Shura Council, praying to Allah Almighty to make our works always sincere to Him and guide us in the service of our religion and dear people. We thank Allah Almighty for huge developmental achievements in the past decades, and with the help of Allah, the Kingdom continues to achieve further achievements through Vision 2030. To achieve this, the Kingdom has made great efforts in facilitating doing businesses. The Kingdom has been ranked this year by the World Bank as the most advanced and first reformed country among (190) countries in the world, reflecting the determination of your state with all its authorities and institutions to proceed with the implementation of its reform programs to raise the competitiveness of the Kingdom to upgrade it to the ranks of the ten most stimulating business countries in the world. The Kingdom is proceeding with the help of Allah Almighty and the determination of its citizens who are our pride and our precious wealth to achieve unlimited ambitions. Dear brothers and sisters, The Kingdom's announcement of a part of Saudi Aramco's shares for Initial Public Offering (IPO) will allow investors to contribute to this leading company in the world and make a qualitative leap in enhancing the size of the Saudi financial market to be in line with advanced international markets, and will enhance transparency and corporate governance in line with international standards. The revenues from the sale will be directed to the Public Investment Fund to target promising investment sectors inside and outside the Kingdom. The opening of the tourism sector and the start of work in the issuance of tourist visas come to achieve the objectives of the Kingdom's vision 2030, as one of the catalysts of economic growth to attract and diversify investments in this promising sector that provides great job opportunities and a cultural bridge to connect with the world to share our rich heritage and civilizational landmarks. We commend our generous Saudi people in dealing with arrival of tourists and residents, based on our established principles and traditions, which are an approach inherited by generations. Honorable Council; The Kingdom was subject to attacks, in which 286 ballistic missiles and 289 drones were used, but all this did not affect the Kingdom's development process or the lives of its citizens and residents, thanks to the efficiency of our military and security sectors, who spare no effort to remain vigilant to defend the security of this country. We, here, express our pride of the martyrs of duty and the injured who set the most excellent examples in sacrificing for the faith and the homeland, and we affirm that their families will always be the subject of our care and attention. The sabotage attacks on our oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais, in which Iranian weapons were used, showed the level of frustration reached by the Iranian regime, uniting the world in the face of this criminal aggression. With the guidance of Allah Almighty and the help of our citizens, we succeeded to restore the production capacity of these facilities during a record time, proving to the world the ability of the Kingdom to meet oil demand in the event of any shortage, and its leading role in ensuring the security and stability of global energy supplies. As regards Yemen, thanks to Allah almighty, the Kingdom's efforts were culminated in the signing of Riyadh Agreement between the Yemeni Government and the Southern Transitional Council, hopefully that it will open the door before broader understandings to reach a political solution to the crisis according to the three references and give room to the dear Yemeni people to foresee a future of security, stability, and development. We have also the right to be proud of the success our country has achieved in eradicating the manifestations of extremism following successful confrontation and siege against the extremist ideology with all means in a way that enabled moderation concepts to become anew a distinguished feature of the Saudi society. Dear brothers and sisters, The Kingdom's presidency of the G20, starting next month, is another evidence of the pivotal role of the Kingdom in the global economy. We hope that the ambitious program, which we have instructed the authorities to prepare during the Kingdom's presidency of the G20, will contribute to the enhancement of its march to serve the interests of all countries and peoples. In conclusion, as we look at the good progress of our homeland, we have the right to be proud of the achievements that we have reached, thanks to Allah Almighty, upon the determination of our female and male youths, as they confidently embark on their way to the future, equipped with their tolerance of Islamic faith, their genuine Arabic ethics, as well as the science and knowledge they have got to continue the march of construction and prosperity. We, in the homeland of the two holy mosques, receive every Muslim. We wish all success for the Arabs, Muslims and the whole world. The letter distributed to you contains a detailed presentation of the domestic and foreign policy of the Kingdom. We thank the Shura Council for its continuous efforts and work, hoping that Allah Almighty will guide us all to what He loves and becomes content with, May Allah's peace, mercy and blessing be upon you". --SPA