Jeddah, SPA:
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet's session held at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Tuesday afternoon.
At the outset of the session, the King affirmed that the issuance of a number of royal orders including the transformation of Riyadh City Development Commission into a Royal Commission under the name of "The Royal Commission for the City of Riyadh", the establishment of a body called "Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority" and the National Artificial Intelligence Center and National Data Management Office organizationally linked with it, the establishment of a ministry under the name of The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, the amendment of the name of the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources to be the Ministry of Energy, the amendment of the name of General Auditing Bureau to be "General Bureau for Accountability", and the appointment of a number of ministers and officials in different posts emanate from the keenness on the development of various sectors and their prosperity for the interest of the homeland, citizens and the continuation of the development process being witnessed by the Kingdom in many areas to keep up with the Kingdom's vision 2030.
The King expressed his best wishes of success for appointed ministers and officials in their new missions, and his thanks and appreciation to former ministers and officials for their blessed efforts in the service of the religion and the homeland.
Minister of Commerce and Investment, Acting Minister of Media Dr. Majed bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi said in a statement to Saudi Press Agency following the session that the Cabinet reviewed a number of reports on latest developments in the region and the world. It expressed on the advent of the new Hijri year its best wishes, praying to Allah Almighty to unite Muslims' ranks and guide them, that this year will witness a breakthrough for all crises that Arab and Islamic nations are going through, and it will be a good year and a blessing for all, in which security and stability will be achieved all over the world.
The Cabinet lauded the Security Council's condemnation of repeated terrorist attempts by Iranian-backed Houthi militias targeting civilian objects in the Kingdom, which pose a threat to the security of citizens and stability in the region and undermine the UN-led political process. The Cabinet also hailed the UN statement's full support for the Kingdom and its efforts to hold a dialogue in Jeddah for all parties of conflict in Aden.
The Cabinet affirmed that the urgent relief campaign ordered by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Republic of Sudan and implemented by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) which provides shelter and medical materials to the needy in areas affected by floods reflects the Kingdom's keenness on the Sudanese brotherly people and the Kingdom's pivotal role at the global level in providing assistance to the needy wherever they are with impartiality.
The Cabinet disclosed that USD two-million-aid provided by the Kingdom to the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) came within framework of the Kingdom's support for the IOFS to achieve food security and promote rural development in order to eliminate the food gap.
On domestic affairs, the Cabinet welcomed Umrah performers and visitors to the Two Holy Mosques who are starting to come to the Kingdom following the successful season of Hajj, at a time, the Kingdom still provides services to the existing pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah completed all preparations for receiving Umrah performers and visitors who are expected to reach ten million this year.
On the occasion of the beginning of a new academic year in various educational stages, the Cabinet wished all the best and success for male and female students to achieve their aspirations and hopes, asking Allah Almighty to support efforts of all teachers and all university and technical educational bodies in achieving their great message in order to achieve the Kingdom Vision 2030.
The Cabinet issued the following decisions:
First:
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Interior, or his deputy, to discuss with the Niger's side a draft agreement on criminals extraditation between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Niger, sign it and submit the finally signed version, to complete applicable procedures.
Second:
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Interior, or his deputy, to discuss with the Afghan side a draft agreement on cooperation between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, in regard of combating the illicit traffic in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and chemical precursors and submit the finally signed version to complete legal formalities.
Third:
The Cabinet approved two general agreements for cooperation between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Governments of the Republic of Angola and the Republic of Nicaragua.
Fourth:
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or his deputy, to discuss with the Dominican side a draft agreement on the political consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of Dominican, sign it, and submit the finally signed version, to complete legal formalities.
Fifth:
The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of Netherlands for cooperation in the field of statistics.
Sixth:
The Cabinet authorized the President of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, or his deputy, to sign a memorandum of understanding between the National Anti-Corruption Commission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Nations Development Programme in the field of corruption prevention.
Seventh:
The Cabinet appointed Yasir bin Othman Al-Rumayyan, Member of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) and Dr. Nabil bin Mohammed Al-Amoudi as member of board of directors of the company.
Eighth:
The Cabinet appointed the Minister of Commerce and Investment as member of board of directors of the National Information Center.
Ninth:
The Cabinet established a program titled "Agricultural Subsidies Program" affiliated to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.
Tenth:
The Cabinet appointed Ammar bin Abdulwahed Al-Khudairi, Mazen bin Abdulrazzaq Al-Rumaih and Mamdouh bin Saud Al-Sharhan as members of the board of directors of the Real Estate Development Fund.
Eleventh:
The Cabinet approved the final accounts of Al-Baha University for a previous fiscal year.
Twelfth:
The Cabinet approved promotions to ranks 15 and 14, as follows:
1- Dr. Mishari bin Ibrahim bin Salem Al-Mishari, to the post of Deputy Director of the National Information Center, rank 15, at the National Information Center.
2- Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Twaijiri, to the post of Undersecretary for Reconstruction and Projects, rank 15, at the Principality of Madinah Region.
3- Eng. Ibrahim bin Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Himaidan, to the post of Counselor for Technical Affairs, rank 15, at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.
4- Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Mansouri, to the post of Undersecretary of the General President of the Grand Mosque Affairs, rank 15. at the General Presidency for the Grand Mosque and the Prophet Mosque Affairs.
5- Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Khitlah, to the post of Assistant Undersecretary for Rights, rank 14, at the Principality of Assir Region.
6- Mohamed bin Hamad bin Nahidh Al-Withinani, to the post of Director General of the General Department of Counselors, rank 14, Principality of Makkah.
7- Abdulrahman bin Dhawi bin Mohammed Al-Muhana, to the post Director General of the Customs' Control Department, rank 14, at the Saudi Customs Authority.
8- Fahd bin Rashid bin Saleh Al-Mudhish, to the post of Director General of Control Means, rank 14, at the Saudi Customs Authority.
9- Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al-Ghannam, to the post of Engineer Consultant for the Computer, rank 14, at the National Information Center.
10- Abdullah bin Habib bin Faraj Al-Harbi, to the post of Assistant Director General of the Makkah Region Bureau Branch, at the General Bureau of Accountability.
The Cabinet reviewed various general topics, on its agenda, including two annual reports of two government bodies for two previous fiscal years. The Cabinet discussed them and issued recommendations, in their regard.