Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Chairs Cabinet's Session

Riyadh, December 3, 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, Cabinet's members extended their sincere condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and the royal family, on the death of Prince Miteb bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, praying to Allah Almighty to bestow mercy upon the soul of the deceased. The King expressed his thanks and appreciation to leaders and envoys of a number of sisterly and friendly countries, who extended their condolences on the death of Prince Miteb bin Abdulaziz. The Cabinet also expressed its sincere congratulations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of his reign, and achieving, in his prosperous era, stability and prosperity, as well as the continuing of the process of development in various fields and moving forward with further achievements locally and globally, as guidance and directives of the leadership have resulted in the security and stability of the Kingdom and strengthening its leading role regionally and internationally. The Cabinet welcomed leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to hold the 40th session of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) next Tuesday in Riyadh, under the chairmanship of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to discuss important issues to enhance cooperation and integration among member states. The session will also discuss regional and international political developments and the security situation in the region. Then, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the content of the message received from King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Eswatini. Minister of Media, Turki bin Abdullah Al-Shabanah, said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency that the Cabinet was briefed on the results of HRH Crown Prince's official visit to the United Arab Emirates, his meetings and his chairmanship of the second meeting of the Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council in Abu Dhabi, citing HRH Crown Prince's affirmation on the Council's harmony with the national strategy of the two countries, the integration of their visions to achieve lasting advancement and prosperity of the two peoples, promoting progress in the region, and the Council's targeting to achieve an exceptional model of joint cooperation and launch innovative and new initiatives aimed at achieving a positive impact for both countries. The Cabinet commended the Kingdom's start of the G20 presidency for 2020, praising the program prepared for this summit under the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and the supervision and follow-up of HRH Crown prince, reaffirming also its commitment to continue the work launched from Osaka, to seek concrete achievements, and to take advantage of the Kingdom's position among the three continents during its hosting of the G20 in highlighting the perspective of the Middle East and North Africa, to shape and promote global consensus on international issues. The Cabinet thanked Japan for its hard work and achievements during its presidency of the Group in 2019. The Cabinet considered the election of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as a member of the World Heritage Committee for the first time, as a reflection of the unlimited support for the cultural sector from the wise leadership and an affirmation of the international community's confidence in the Kingdom's position and its role in supporting the efforts of preserving the World Heritage. The Minister of Media pointed out that the Cabinet reviewed several reports on latest developments in the region and the world. The Kingdom reaffirmed at the United Nations Headquarters in Vienna that the Palestinian cause is its first concern and will remain so until the Palestinian people attain all their rights, including East Jerusalem (AlQuds) as their capital, and the Kingdom's rejection of any measures that would prejudice the historical and legal status of the occupied city of Jerusalem and an attempt to Judaize it, demanding the international community to assume its responsibilities towards providing international protection for the Palestinian people. In the local affairs, the Cabinet touched on the care and attention given by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the national history, and support initiatives that contribute to the development of methodology and programs to upgrade the historical activities to enrich the scientific and cultural movement, including the King's confirmation during his chairmanship of the 50th meeting of the Board of Directors of King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives, the Foundation's development of curriculum of social studies in public education and the national history curriculum for universities in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, which presents the country's heritage and history in a distinctive educational manner. The Cabinet also appreciated the results of the 59th annual report of the General Auditing Bureau for the fiscal year 1439/1440 AH, the results of the most prominent achievements, the results of the financial auditing and performance monitoring, and the successes achieved in its area of competence in cooperation with the bodies covered by its control in the preservation of funds or supply or provide them to the public treasury of the state. --SPA