Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, chaired a cabinet's session at Al-Salam palace in Jeddah on Tuesday afternoon.
At the outset of the session, the king thanked Allah Almighty for the many blessings the Kingdom enjoys and the security, prosperity and great development it witnesses in all fields while preserving its constants derived from the Holy Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah.
The king said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on the occasion of its 89th National Day, is proud of the announcement of the late founder King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud that unified the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the Holy Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah, as this unification continued with the efforts of his sons after him and the unity of citizens, where we have become proud of a national unity and a distinguished international position. On this occasion, we thank the leaders and officials of sisterly and friendly countries and all officials and citizens of the Kingdom for their feelings and congratulations on this occasion, praying to Allah Almighty to help and guide us so that the Kingdom remains a strong fortress to serve Islam and Muslims, build and serve the Two Holy Mosques, serve the causes of Arab and Islamic nations, support justice and contribute to the establishment of security and stability throughout the world.
Then, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the results of his meeting with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the content of the telephone call made to President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China, and the results of the King's meeting with the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Imran Khan. The King expressed his thanks and appreciation to the King of Bahrain, the Chinese President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan for their condemnation of the blatant attacks that targeted two Aramco plants, which represent a serious escalation and a major threat to the security and stability of the region and to the global oil market supplies.
Minister of Media Turki bin Abdullah Al-Shabanah said in a statement to Saudi Press Agency that the cabinet congratulated the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense on the great achievement represented in the return of oil supplies from the Kingdom due to the great efforts made by Saudi Aramco to overcome the effects of the blatant sabotage attack on two oil plants in Abqaiq and Khurais. The cabinet commended the fast response of Saudi Aramco, activation of emergency system and the efficiency and dedication of its employees, including citizens and residents, which have played a major role in overcoming the crisis.
The cabinet reviewed a number of reports on events and latest developments, stressing that the international community has a great responsibility to put an end to Iranian acts of aggression and sabotage policies, pointing out that the sabotage attack on the oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais, and the use of Iranian weapons in it is a threat to international peace and security and an unjustified aggression on energy supplies to world markets which the international community has strongly condemned.
The cabinet also stressed that the Kingdom's decision to join the International Maritime Security Construct and to ensure the safety of sea routes comes in support of regional and international efforts to deter and counter threats to maritime navigation and global trade and to ensure the security and continuity of the flow of energy supplies to the global economy and contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security.
The minister of media pointed out that the Cabinet reiterated the Kingdom's condemnation of the terrorist bombings that targeted a passenger bus in Karbala Governorate in the Republic of Iraq, and an electoral rally for the Afghan President and an army base in Kabul, stressing the Kingdom's solidarity with the Republics of Iraq and Afghanistan and supporting them against all forms of violence, terrorism and extremism, offering condolences to the governments and peoples of the two countries and to the families of the victims, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
The cabinet issued the following decisions:
First: the cabinet authorized the Minister of Interior - or his deputy - to sign with the Indonesian side a draft extradition agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of Indonesia and submit the final signed version to complete procedures.
Second: the cabinet authorized the minister of interior - or his deputy - to sign with the Chinese side a draft cooperation agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the People's Republic of China in the field of combating the illicit traffic in drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals and submit the final signed version to complete procedures.
Third: the cabinet authorized the concerned authorities to discuss a draft memoranda of understanding with the UAE side in the following fields:
- Cultural field.
- Health fields.
- Insurance field.
- Communications and Information Technology field.
- News Exchange field.
- Space Activities for Peaceful Purposes field.
- Cybersecurity field.
Fourth: the cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Financial Services Commission and Financial Supervisory Service of the Republic of Korea for joint cooperation in the supervision of financial institutions.
Fifth: the cabinet authorized acting secretary General of King Abdulaziz Foundation or his deputy to discuss and sign with the Tunisian side a draft memorandum of cooperation between King Abdulaziz Foundation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Tunisian National Library of the Republic of Tunisia.
Sixth: the cabinet authorized Supervisor General of the National Center for Documents and Archives or his deputy to discuss and sign with the Tunisian side a draft memorandum of cooperation between the National Center for Documents and Archives of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the National Archives of the Republic of Tunisia in the field of documents and archiving.
Seventh: the cabinet decided that the state shall bear, for a period of five years, the financial charge for expatriate workers, for the industrial establishments, licensed under an industrial license, as of October 1, 2019.
Eighth: the cabinet decided to add the governor of Hafr Al-Batin governorate to the membership of the Eastern region Development Authority Board.
Ninth: the cabinet approved the system of professional companies.
Tenth: the cabinet approved a number arrangements as follows:
- Approval of the initiative to establish and manage car parks in the locations specified by the supervisory committee for privatization in the municipal sector, in Riyadh.
- Launching an initiative for joint land investment agreements, in partnership with the private sector, according to the revenue sharing model.
- Five public-private partnership projects, in the Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh and Eastern regions were piloted, on unused land owned by the principalities.
- Launching a project for establishing and managing car parks, in partnership with the private sector.
Eleventh: the cabinet approved the following appointments:
- Salman bin Yusuf Al-Dossari and Mohammed bin Fahd Al-Harthi, as two well experienced and opinion-wise members, at the board of the Broad of the Saudi Broadcasting Authority.
Twelfth: - Dr. Fahd bin Hassan Al Aqran and Adhwan bin Mohammed Al-Ahmari, as two well experienced and opinion-wise members, at the board of the Broad of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Thirteenth: the cabinet approved the general strategy for developing national tourism.
Fourteenth: the cabinet approved promotion of Eng. Fouad bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Milhim to the post of Undersecretary for Reconstruction and Projects, rank 14, at the Principality of Ahbssa governorate.
The cabinet reviewed a number of general issues on its agenda and made appropriate recommendations, in their regard.
