Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Chairs Cabinet's Session

Riyadh, January 21, 2020, 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. The Cabinet reviewed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's progress among 190 Economies in the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2020 Report ranking it as the top reformer and top improver among 190 countries around the world, placing the Kingdom first among GCC countries and second in the Arab world. The Cabinet added that that this comes as a result of legislative reforms of laws and regulations related to women, according to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 programs that contributed to supporting the implementation of those reforms, enhancing women's role in economic development, and raising the Kingdom's competitiveness regionally and globally. 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 reviewed a number of reports on latest developments on regional and international arenas, stressing that the Kingdom is following with great interest current developments in the Eastern Mediterranean region and expressing its keenness on security and stability there and its full support for the sovereignty of Cyprus over its territories. The Cabinet reiterated the Kingdom's calling on all parties to abide by Security Council resolutions to resolve conflicts, to serve international peace, security and stability in this region. The Minister of Media stated that the Cabinet reviewed the Kingdom's assertion during the fourth session of the Arab Parliament held in Cairo that its policy is based on the principles of peaceful coexistence and good neighborliness, full respect for the sovereignty and independence of states, non-interference in their internal affairs, and its belief that these principles are capable of resolving all conflicts, foremost the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Cabinet also reviewed the Kingdom's great attention to the Palestinian cause as its first issue, the Kingdom's efforts to ensure access to political solutions to crises in Syria, Yemen, Libya and Sudan, calling on all to take serious action to address all destabilizing foreign threats and interventions and to move forward towards the aspirations of security, stability and development of Arab countries and their peoples. On regional affairs, the Cabinet praised the Order of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to set an earlier date of the tests for the second semester of the current academic year 1441AH, which reflects his interest in students in all stages of education, and his concern for all what contributes to a positive impact on the results of education and the level of performance in the tests, achieves the public interest for students and their parents, and gives them an opportunity to continue with their academic pursuit. The Cabinet stressed the Kingdom's strong condemnation and denunciation of the attack that targeted a military site in Niger, the bombing of a security checkpoint and a tax collection center in Somalia, and the terrorist attack carried out by the Houthi militia on a mosque in the Ma'rib Governorate, which resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries, expressing the Kingdom's condolences to the families of the victims and the governments and peoples of those countries, wishing the injured a speedy recovery. --SPA