Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - may God protect him - chaired the Cabinet session held today in Jeddah.
At the beginning of the session, the Cabinet reviewed the content of the talks and communications that took place over the past few days between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and sister and friendly countries to consolidate relations and develop bilateral and multilateral coordination in various fields, in a manner that achieves common interests and mutual benefits.
Cabinet decisions
In this context, the Council praised the results of the visit of the Saudi delegation to the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic, which came under the direction of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister - may God protect him - and as an affirmation of the Kingdom’s firm position in support of Syria in its path towards economic growth, noting that the visit witnessed the signing of (47) investment agreements worth nearly (24) billion riyals in a number of fields, in addition to announcing the establishment of a joint business council to advance mutual cooperation and activate partnerships between private sector institutions in the two countries.
Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari explained in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session that the Cabinet discussed the Kingdom's participation in the United Nations High-Level Political Forum, highlighting the achievements of its national vision, which has made it the fastest-advancing G20 country on sustainable development indicators over the past ten years, in addition to its international contributions and initiatives aimed at promoting progress and prosperity.
International affairs
The Cabinet followed up on developments on the regional and international scene, affirming the Kingdom's continued efforts to establish a just peace in the Middle East, promote international security and stability, and halt the cycle of violence that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of innocent civilians.
The Council expressed its hope that the "High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Issue," chaired by the Kingdom in partnership with France, would contribute to accelerating recognition of the Palestinian state, establishing a consensus path to implementing the two-state solution, and enhancing the security and stability of the countries of the region.
The Minister of Information stated that the Council reiterated the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's welcome of French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement of his country's intention to recognize the State of Palestine, calling on other countries to take similar steps and support peace and the rights of the brotherly Palestinian people.
The Council condemned, in the strongest terms, the Israeli Knesset's demand to impose control over the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley, which undermines peace efforts and perpetuates destruction and sabotage. It stressed the Kingdom's complete rejection of the occupation authorities' violations of international law and United Nations resolutions.
Local affairs
On local affairs, the Cabinet reviewed the latest developments in the Kingdom's efforts to develop circular carbon economy technologies, including the operation of a pilot unit for direct air carbon capture technology in Riyadh, as part of the Kingdom's efforts to explore innovative and promising technical solutions in this field, affirming its leadership and ongoing efforts to achieve its climate ambitions in line with Vision 2030.
Decisions
The Cabinet reviewed the topics on its agenda, including topics that the Shura Council participated in studying. It also reviewed the conclusions reached by the Political and Security Affairs Council, the Economic and Development Affairs Council, the General Committee of the Cabinet, and the Cabinet’s Experts Authority in this regard. The Cabinet concluded the following:
Firstly:
Approval of a Memorandum of Understanding in the financial field between the Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Kingdom of Morocco.
Second:
Approval of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Djibouti for cooperation in the field of mineral resources.
Third:
Authorizing the Minister of Health - or his representative - to negotiate with the Nicaraguan side regarding the draft memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Health in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Health in the Republic of Nicaragua for cooperation in the health sector, and to sign it.
Fourthly:
Authorizing the Minister of Education - or his representative - to negotiate with the UNESCO Regional Centre for Quality and Excellence in Education regarding the draft memorandum of scientific and educational cooperation between the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UNESCO Regional Centre for Quality and Excellence in Education, and to sign it.
Fifth:
Approval for the Saudi Organization for Internal Auditors to negotiate with the Chinese Institute of Internal Auditors regarding a draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of internal audit, governance, and compliance, and to sign it.
Sixthly:
Approval of the statistical system in the form attached to the decision.
Seventh:
Restructuring the Board of the Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies, headed by His Highness the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Eighth:
Approval of the final accounts of the King Fahd National Library for the previous fiscal year.
Ninth:
Approval of two appointments and promotions at the (fifteenth) and (fourteenth) ranks, and the positions of (Ambassador) and (Minister Plenipotentiary), as follows:
- Appointing Khalid bin Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al-Bahli to the position of (Deputy Emir of the Region) at the (fifteenth) rank in the Emirate of Al-Qassim Region.
- Promoting Dr. Atallah bin Zayed bin Atallah bin Zayed to the position of (Ambassador) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Promoting Walid bin Abdul Hamid bin Mabrouk Al-Samaeel to the position of (Minister Plenipotentiary) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Promoting Salah bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Basif to the position of (Computer Engineering Technology Advisor) at the (fourteenth) rank in the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
- Appointing Dr. Abdulkhaliq bin Hanash bin Saeed Al Zahrani to the position of (Educational Methods Advisor) at the (fourteenth) rank at the Ministry of Education.
The Cabinet also reviewed a number of general topics on its agenda, including two annual reports from the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve Development Authority and the Human Resources Development Fund. The Cabinet took the necessary action in these matters.
