Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Chairs Cabinet's Virtual Session

NEOM, October 13, 2020, SPA -- The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prime Minister, chaired today the Cabinet's virtual session. At the outset of the session, the Cabinet was briefed on the latest developments related to the Coronavirus pandemic locally and globally, its developments in the preventive and treatment sides, the latest statistics recorded in the Kingdom, and the results of advanced laboratory tests that have nearly reached seven million tests, in light of the stability of the index of infected cases, and the increasing rates of recovery, thanks to the preventive measures and health protocols taken, and the medical and health services provided by the Government to preserve the health and safety of citizens and expatriates and confront this pandemic and limit its spread. The Cabinet considered that the issuance of the royal order to continue the educational process remotely until the end of the first semester as a confirmation of the care by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for the safety of students, and members of the administrative, educational and training body in schools, institutes, colleges and universities, and their protection from the risks of their exposure to infection with the Coronavirus, as well as their support for and eagerness to continue education through technical capabilities under exceptional circumstances. In his statement to the Saudi Press Agency, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, the Acting Minister of Media, stated that the Cabinet described the positive estimates of the credit rating agencies of the Kingdom's economy as reflecting its durability, flexibility and ability to face global economic challenges, the effectiveness of structural reforms and financial and economic policies, and the strength of the financial position of the Kingdom and its ability to continue growth, especially in light of the exceptional crises and circumstances that the world is currently witnessing, stressing that the Kingdom is continuing to achieve the goals of its vision towards enabling its financial sector to be among the largest financial centers in the world by 2030, despite the global economy facing the repercussions of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Cabinet expressed the Kingdom's interest and keenness to promote the values of pluralism and international cooperation stipulated in the United Nations Charter, to achieve sustainable development plans and goals and overcome challenges to reach a more inclusive and just world. The Cabinet Referred in this regard to the Kingdom's invitation during the work of the Economic and Financial Committee at its seventy-fifth session of the United Nations General Assembly due to the importance of promoting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in light of the economic, security, and geopolitical changes, and global health challenges, represented by the spread of epidemics and their negative impact on development gains. The Kingdom achieved during its presidency of the G20 countries several unprecedented achievements by taking preventive measures and addressing unforeseen consequences and shocks to the global economy. The Cabinet renewed the Kingdom's strong condemnation of the terrorist Houthi militia's continuous launching of bomb-laden UAV to target civilians and civilian objects in the Kingdom systematically and deliberately, which is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and its customary rules. The Cabinet was also briefed on reports and developments on local and international levels, reiterating the Kingdom's affirmation, before the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, on the importance of adhering to the basic principles of the Non-Aligned Movement in facing challenges and supporting all efforts exerted to achieve a stable and secure world, including the principles of the Bandung Conference in addressing conflicts, combating terrorism, renewable nuclear and other threats, climate change and its repercussions, and deepening multilateral cooperation that enhances international peace and security. --SPA