Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud chaired the Cabinet session held here yesterday.
The Cabinet was briefed on the content of the phone call received by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which they reviewed the historical, strategic relations, as well as regional and international developments.
The Cabinet discussed the recent work of joint committees formed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and several other countries, including the signing of memoranda of understanding aimed at boosting cooperation in various fields to achieve common interests, enhance relations, and explore broader horizons.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency after the session, Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari said that the Cabinet commended the progress achieved by the Saudi-Japanese Manar initiative concerning cooperation in the field of clean energy, which could serve as a model, for countries around the world, in their pursuit of developing strategies and plans to achieve the ambition of reaching carbon neutrality.
Domestically, the Cabinet said that the inauguration of the fourth year of the eighth session of the Shura Council reflected a year full of accomplishments during which the Kingdom strived to fulfill the goals of securing a decent life for its citizens, continued its comprehensive development journey, and solidified its global leading standing and competitiveness in various fields.
The Cabinet deemed the extension of the Citizen Account Program, along with the provision of additional support to its beneficiaries until the end of 2024, as a testament to the leadership's care for the well-being of the citizens, and commitment to easing their financial burdens and improving their livelihoods, particularly in times of economic instability.
The Cabinet tackled other items on its agenda, and issued several decisions, among which the following:
First:
Forming the Board of Trustees of the Green Initiative Foundation, chaired by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister and consisting of the following members: the ministers of energy, foreign affairs, environment, water and agriculture, and climate envoy, the CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, Advisor at the Royal Court Dr. Fahd bin Abdullah Toonsi, and Advisor at the Royal Court Abdulaziz bin Ismail Tarabzouni as secretary of the board.
Second:
Approving a cooperation agreement to combat crime between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania.
Third:
Authorizing the minister of environment, water and agriculture, or a deputy, to discuss and sign with representatives of the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of smart agriculture.
Fourth:
Approving a model memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and its counterparts in several other countries, and authorizing the minister of municipal and rural affairs, or a deputy, to discuss and sign with his counterparts in those countries memoranda of understanding in the municipal and housing sectors.
Fifth:
Approving a memorandum of understanding between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of Türkiye for cooperation to promote direct investment.
Sixth:
Approving an investment Framework Cooperation Program (FCP) between the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia and the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of India (Invest India) to strengthen mutual investment.
Seventh:
Authorizing the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission, or a deputy, to discuss and sign with a representative of the Supreme Council for Environment of the Kingdom of Bahrain a draft memorandum of understanding in the field of nuclear safety and radiation protection.
Eighth:
Authorizing the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, or a deputy, to sign a draft memorandum of understanding with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) regarding establishing a trust fund for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at WIPO.
Ninth:
Approving an agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in the field of air transport services.
Tenth:
Authorizing the minister of media and chairman of the General Authority of Media Regulation, or a deputy, to discuss and sign with a representative of the Media Commission of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan a draft memorandum of understanding in the field of visual, audio and print media.
Eleventh:
Authorizing the chairman of the Capital Market Authority (CMA), or a deputy, to discuss and sign with a representative of China Securities Regulatory Commission a draft memorandum of understanding concerning cooperation in securities and future contracts.
Twelfth:
Authorizing the president of the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, or a deputy, to sign the Makkah Al Mukarramah Convention of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Cooperation.
Thirteenth:
Approving a memorandum of understanding between the General Department of Financial Investigation at the Presidency of the State Security and the Financial Investigations Unit of the Hellenic Anti-Money Laundering Commission regarding cooperation in exchanging financial investigation related to money laundering and financing terrorism.
