Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Chairs Cabinet's Session

Riyadh, December 24, 2019, SPA -- The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet's session held at Al-Yamamah Palace here today. At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques thanked Allah Almighty for the blessings bestowed upon this country, as the state budget for the fiscal year 1441/1442 AH - 2020 showed signs of growth and prosperity, enhancement of the development process in the Kingdom and support for economic and financial growth and stability. The King stressed the determination to continue economic reforms and ensur achieving the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, directing all ministers and officials to commit to implementing development and social programs and projects included in the budget. The Cabinet commended what was confirmed by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, after the announcement of the general budget, of the Kingdom's continuation and progress in implementing economic reforms, advancement in diversifying the productive base of the economy while maintaining financial sustainability and creating an environment that attracts investments, which provides wider opportunities for a better future for present and future generations, in addition to the progress achieved by the economic transformation according to the Kingdom's Vision, and that the budget came to reinforce the commitment to implementing reforms and plans aimed at achieving the strategy while maintaining financial and economic stability. The Cabinet reviewed what the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab States stressed in its fortieth session held in Diriyah Palace regarding the importance of the GCC states' roles in enhancing the stability and ensuring the security of the region to face current challenges in the region. The Cabinet welcomed what was stated in the final communique of the GCC summit (Riyadh Declaration), citing the GCC leaders' keenness on cohesion, interdependence and unity, preserving gains and achievements, enhancing strategic partnerships, achieving economic unity, and emphasizing the implementation of all Supreme Council decisions and agreements that have been concluded within the Council and the commitment to these decisions and agreements to increase the GCC states' strength and achieve security, stability, growth and prosperity and their citizens. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the contents of telephones calls with President Donald Trump of the United States of America; King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain; Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad; and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. The King also briefed the Cabinet on the results of his talks with President Sooronbay Jeenbekov of the Kyrgyz Republic, and the content of the message sent to President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of the Arab Republic of Egypt, citing reviewing bilateral relations between the Kingdom and these sisterly and friendly countries in a way that serves common interests and enhances prospects of cooperation. The Minister of Media, Turki bin Abdullah Al-Shabanah, pointed out in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency after the session, that the Cabinet indicated that the issuance of the royal order to approve the organizational and structural arrangements related to combating financial and administrative corruption, and brought together the relevant authorities in one apparatus in the name of "Control and Anti-Corruption Authority" embodies the keenness of the wise leadership to raise the performance and efficiency of work in a manner that enhances integrity, eliminating financial and administrative corruption, and the speedy settlement of its cases, protecting public money and tracking down and holding accountable the corrupted. The Cabinet commended directing the related authorities to extend the payment of "cost of living allowance" for an additional year until the end of 2020, stressing that this falls within the keenness of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to seek the needs of citizens and their assistance in matters of their living and purchasing requirements. The Cabinet hailed the signing of GCC Unified Military Command Headquarters Agreement in Riyadh, in a desire to reach cooperation and coordination in the fields of security, defense and maintaining stability, stressing that this agreement expresses the Kingdom's support for Gulf action and facilitating the task of unified military leadership work that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was keen to complete its requirements within the framework of his vision relating to move the joint Gulf action from the stage of cooperation to integration. The Cabinet discussed what the first activities of the G20 meetings under the presidency of the Kingdom carried out with the participation of the official representatives of G20 Member country Leaders (G20 Sherpa) in Riyadh, and the first event of the financial track, within the series of meetings to be hosted by the Kingdom before the leaders’ summit in November 2020, emanating from the Kingdom’s commitment to working to find collective solutions to tackle common challenges. The Minister of Media pointed out that the Cabinet reviewed after that a number of reports on regional and international arenas, expressing congratulations to President Abdelmajid Taboun on his victory in the presidential elections in the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, wishing Algeria more progress and prosperity. The Cabinet stressed the roles being played by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and its relentless endeavors to strengthen the joint Islamic action, as a collective home for Islamic action since its foundation in 1969, and a unified voice for the Islamic nation, indicating in this regard that the Kingdom is honored to host the organization’s headquarters and support it along with member states to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the peoples of the Islamic nation. --SPA