Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Chairs Cabinet's Session

Jeddah, Apr. 06, 2022, SPA -- The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet's session held at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah today. At the outset of the meeting, the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques uttered praise and thanks to Allah Almighty for all the blessings provided for Muslims, including observing the current holy month of Ramadhan, and those provided for this blessed country including the honor of serving the Two Holy Mosques and taking care of pilgrims and Umrah performers. The Custodian of Two Holy Mosques blessed the great success that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia achieved in confronting the pandemic of coronavirus and resisting its effects, an achievement that contributed to the restoration of exploiting the full capacity of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, after lifting the precautionary and preventive measures of the pandemic. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Acting Minister of Media Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi said that the Cabinet was briefed on talks that took place between officials of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and their counterparts of a number of countries during the past days, to develop mutual relations in various fields, in order to serve common interests. The Cabinet reviewed a number of reports on the developments of situations in various arenas, citing the international efforts exerted towards them, in order to maintain security, peace and stability of the region and the world at large. In this context, the Cabinet valued the efforts of the United Nations and its Special Envoy to reach a truce in Yemen and a comprehensive cessation of military operations inside and on its borders, in line with the Kingdom’s initiative to end the Yemeni crisis and lift the human suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people, expressing hope that those efforts would contribute to reach a political settlement through the Yemeni-Yemeni consultations held under the auspices of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). He indicated that the Cabinet appreciated the security efforts targeting terrorist organizations and their affiliates, financiers and facilitators, citing the contribution of the Presidency of State Security in a unilateral and coordinated manner with the US, represented by the Treasury and the Office of Foreign Assets Control, in classifying 25 names and entities involved in facilitating the financing operations of the Houthi militia, who operate with the support of Al-Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, its international network arm aimed at destabilizing Yemen. The Cabinet was briefed on the outcomes of the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which emphasized achieving a common vision of peace, security, development and human rights, based on the commitment to the global principles of justice, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of countries, and coordinating and unifying efforts to collectively address the challenges faced by the Islamic nation. The Cabinet praised the success of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress hosted by the Kingdom, citing the announcement of a number of investment agreements and initiatives worth SR51.8 billion, with the aim of supporting entrepreneurship in various fields, and enhancing the Kingdom's position as an attractive environment for entrepreneurs, innovators and creatives from around the world. The Cabinet was also briefed on several issues on its agenda, including some co-studied by the Shura Council, as well as the outcomes of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, the Council of Political and Security Affairs, the General Committee of the Council of Ministers, and the Council of Experts of the Council of Ministers. The Cabinet issued the following decisions: First: Approval of a memorandum of understanding between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of Malaysia for cooperation in the field of Hajj and Umrah performers. Second: Approval of a general agreement on cooperation between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of Cameroon. Third: Approval of a memorandum of understanding regarding political consultations between the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana. Fourth: Authorizing the Minister of Commerce who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority of Foreign Trade, or his deputy, to discuss with the Costa Rican side a draft memorandum of understanding between the General Authority for Foreign Trade of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica concerning the development of trade ties between the two sides, sign it and refer the final signed copy to proceed with formal procedures. Fifth: Authorizing the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Public Administration, or his deputy, to discuss with the Bahraini side a draft memorandum of understanding between the Institute of Public Administration of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Supreme Council for Women of Bahrain in the field of administrative development, sign it and refer the final signed copy to proceed with formal procedures. Sixth: Authorizing the Minister of Education, or his deputy, to discuss with the Omani side a draft memorandum of scientific and educational cooperation between the Ministry of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation of Oman, sign it and refer the final signed copy to proceed with formal procedures. Seventh: Approval of a cooperation agreement between the Saudi Space Commission and the Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) (National Centre for Space Studies) for cooperation in the peaceful use of outer space. Eighth: Amending the regulation of the Saudi Export-Import Bank (Saudi Exim), as stipulated in the resolution, including its regulatory link to the National Development Fund. Ninth: Amending subparagraph (a) of Paragraph (2) of Article (2) regulating the participation of official delegations in meetings, as per the Cabinet Resolution No. 42 dated 16/1/1438 H., to read as per the text mentioned in the resolution. Tenth: Approval of the establishment of an administrative documentation unit for government agencies, under the name (Administrative Documentation Department) affiliating to the National Center for Archives and Records. The Cabinet also reviewed several issues on its agenda and took necessary procedures accordingly. --SPA