Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, chaired a cabinet's session held today at Al-Yamamah palace in Riyadh.
At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the cabinet on the contents of the telephone call received from King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the results of his talks with President Halimah Yacob of the Republic of Singapore to enhance cooperation between the two countries in all fields. The King also briefed the Cabinet on the contents of the message received from Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait.
The cabinet renewed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's welcoming of the signing of the Riyadh agreement between the Yemeni government and the Transitional Council, under the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. It also welcomed the Kingdom's emphasis on continuing all efforts to support the Republic of Yemen to achieve its security and stability, appreciating the keenness of Yemeni parties to uphold the interest of Yemen and achieve the aspirations of its people.
The cabinet reviewed the emphasis by HRH Crown Prince on the kingdom's keenness to support the Yemeni people since the beginning of the crisis, in response to the request of its legitimate leadership, seek a political solution to the crisis according to the three references, and stop foreign interference in Yemen that seeks to impose a new reality by force of arms, overthrow its legitimacy and threaten the security of the region and its waterways vital to the world.
Minister of Media Turki bin Abdullah Al-Shabanah said, following the session, in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency that the Cabinet expressed its appreciation for international and Arab repercussions of the signing of Riyadh Agreement, which included praising and congratulating the signing of the Riyadh Agreement, and appreciating efforts made to reach it among the Yemeni parties, as a pivotal step in the way of ending the Yemeni crisis and strengthening its unity and prosperity.
The cabinet then reviewed the signing of the agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the World Economic Forum to establish a branch of the Fourth Industrial Revolution Center of the Forum, which is the fifth in the world, and it will provide a space to develop mechanisms, plans and applications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the Kingdom, and contribute to adopt technology and best practices regionally and internationally.
The minister of media pointed out that the Cabinet reviewed a number of reports on latest developments in the region and the world, pointing to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's support and appreciation for the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its denunciation of Iran's continued deception and delays in providing the required information on its nuclear program to the IAEA and the Kingdom's demand for Iran's full cooperation and respect for the immunities and privileges of IAEA inspectors.
The cabinet addressed the contents of the meetings of Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) in Makkah with participation of 35 countries, reaffirming the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to strengthen cooperation and joint action in various fields and achieve economic growth for the countries of the world, and for the peoples of the Islamic countries, which represent 24% of the world population. The Islamic economy is expected to reach more than $ 3 trillion by 2023 with the kingdom looking forward to closer convergence to draw a brighter future and support the economies of Islamic and Arab countries and facilitate trade exchanges among them.
At the local arena, the Cabinet valued the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' patronage of the ceremony to honor the winners of King Khalid Award 2019 in its three categories, including Development Partners, Excellence for Non-Profit Organizations and Sustainability, as this patronage comes as an embodiment of the King's continued support for the award to achieve its humanitarian, social and developmental mission and to continue its fruitful efforts.
The cabinet lauded the project of "Diriyah Gate" which will be launched as a global tourist destination focusing on culture and heritage, citing the historic importance of Diriyah.
The Cabinet also hailed the Saudi team ranking 7th in the advanced category of World Robot Olympiad (WRO), held in Hungary out of 423 participating teams from 74 countries.
The cabinet also reviewed a number of domestic activities, including international conference on ”Sustainable Marine Development Towards 2030 and Beyond”, organized by the General Authority for Transport in Jeddah as well as the 4th Misk Global Forum, organized by Mohammed bin Salman Charity Foundation, and attended by as many as 5,000 figures, out of them 140 leading personalities representing 120 states.
The cabinet issued the following decisions:
First: the cabinet approved that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia joins the Indian-Ocean Rim Association (IORA) as a dialogue partner, assigning the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to complete the necessary procedures.
Second: the cabinet authorized the Minister of Energy or his deputy to discuss and sign with the South African side a draft memorandum of understanding between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of South Africa to study investment opportunities of establishing an integrated refinery and petrochemical complex in South Africa.
Third: the cabinet approved an agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to avoid double taxation on income and capital taxes and to prevent tax evasion.
Fourth: the cabinet authorized the Chairman of the Saudi Space Authority or his deputy to discuss and sign with the members of the Arab Space Cooperation Group to be established, regarding the draft statute of the Arab Space Cooperation Group.
Fifth: the cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Financial Investigation Department of the State Security Presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Financial Information Unit Argentina of the Republic of Argentina with regard to the two parties' cooperation in exchanging relevant investigations on combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
Sixth: the cabinet approved necessary mechanisms to achieve better results in capital and operational expenditure efficiency.
Seventh: the cabinet renewed the membership of Khalid bin Mohammed bin Nasser Al-Oboudi and Ibrahim bin Mohammed Abdullah Albrahim as representatives of the private sector in the Board of Directors of the Saudi Grains Organization.
Eighth: The Cabinet approved the organization of the General Sports Authority.
Ninth: the cabinet endorsed the plan of the Saudi Industrial Development Fund to submit its application to join the Investors Club as a long-term member according to the club's statute.
Tenth: the cabinet approved promotions to the 15th and 14th ranks as follows:
1- Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Saud Al-Mas-han to the post of Security Advisor (15th rank) at the Ministry of Interior.
2- Khalid bin Mohammed bin Abdullah Abu-Milha to the post of Lawsuits Advisor (14th rank) at the Ministry of Interior.
3- Nasser bin Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Abdan to the post of Director General of Administrative Development (14th rank) at the Ministry of National Guard.
4- Fahd bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al-Saadoon to the post of Legal Counselor (14th rank) at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.
The cabinet was briefed on a number of general issues on its agenda, including two annual reports affiliated to two governmental authorities for two previous fiscal years. The Cabinet issued relevant instructions.