Riyadh, SPA:
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet's session held at Al-Yamamah Palace here yesterday.
At the outset of the session, Cabinet's members extended their sincere condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and the royal family, on the death of Prince Miteb bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, praying to Allah Almighty to bestow mercy upon the soul of the deceased.
The King expressed his thanks and appreciation to leaders and envoys of a number of sisterly and friendly countries, who extended their condolences on the death of Prince Miteb bin Abdulaziz.
The Cabinet also expressed its sincere congratulations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of his reign, and achieving, in his prosperous era, stability and prosperity, as well as the continuing of the process of development in various fields and moving forward with further achievements locally and globally, as guidance and directives of the leadership have resulted in the security and stability of the Kingdom and strengthening its leading role regionally and internationally.
The Cabinet welcomed leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to hold the 40th session of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) next Tuesday in Riyadh, under the chairmanship of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to discuss important issues to enhance cooperation and integration among member states. The session will also discuss regional and international political developments and the security situation in the region.
Then, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the content of the message received from King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Eswatini.
Minister of Media, Turki bin Abdullah Al-Shabanah, said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency that the Cabinet was briefed on the results of HRH Crown Prince's official visit to the United Arab Emirates, his meetings and his chairmanship of the second meeting of the Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council in Abu Dhabi, citing HRH Crown Prince's affirmation on the Council's harmony with the national strategy of the two countries, the integration of their visions to achieve lasting advancement and prosperity of the two peoples, promoting progress in the region, and the Council's targeting to achieve an exceptional model of joint cooperation and launch innovative and new initiatives aimed at achieving a positive impact for both countries.
The Cabinet commended the Kingdom's start of the G20 presidency for 2020, praising the program prepared for this summit under the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and the supervision and follow-up of HRH Crown prince, reaffirming also its commitment to continue the work launched from Osaka, to seek concrete achievements, and to take advantage of the Kingdom's position among the three continents during its hosting of the G20 in highlighting the perspective of the Middle East and North Africa, to shape and promote global consensus on international issues. The Cabinet thanked Japan for its hard work and achievements during its presidency of the Group in 2019.
The Cabinet considered the election of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as a member of the World Heritage Committee for the first time, as a reflection of the unlimited support for the cultural sector from the wise leadership and an affirmation of the international community's confidence in the Kingdom's position and its role in supporting the efforts of preserving the World Heritage.
The Minister of Media pointed out that the Cabinet reviewed several reports on latest developments in the region and the world. The Kingdom reaffirmed at the United Nations Headquarters in Vienna that the Palestinian cause is its first concern and will remain so until the Palestinian people attain all their rights, including East Jerusalem (AlQuds) as their capital, and the Kingdom's rejection of any measures that would prejudice the historical and legal status of the occupied city of Jerusalem and an attempt to Judaize it, demanding the international community to assume its responsibilities towards providing international protection for the Palestinian people.
In the local affairs, the Cabinet touched on the care and attention given by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the national history, and support initiatives that contribute to the development of methodology and programs to upgrade the historical activities to enrich the scientific and cultural movement, including the King's confirmation during his chairmanship of the 50th meeting of the Board of Directors of King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives, the Foundation's development of curriculum of social studies in public education and the national history curriculum for universities in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, which presents the country's heritage and history in a distinctive educational manner.
The Cabinet also appreciated the results of the 59th annual report of the General Auditing Bureau for the fiscal year 1439/1440 AH, the results of the most prominent achievements, the results of the financial auditing and performance monitoring, and the successes achieved in its area of competence in cooperation with the bodies covered by its control in the preservation of funds or supply or provide them to the public treasury of the state.
The Cabinet issued the following decisions:
First:
The Cabinet approved the Statute of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Centre for Police Cooperation and Coordination, issued by the 45th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC.
A royal decree has been prepared, in this regard.
Second:
The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding on political consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A royal decree has been prepared, in this regard.
Third:
The Cabinet authorized Minister of Culture or his deputy to discuss with the Dominican side a draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation, in the cultural field between the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Culture of the Dominican Republic and sign the final version to complete formal procedures.
Fourth:
The Cabinet approved the accession of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Vienna Agreement Establishing an International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks (1973).
A royal decree has been prepared, in this regard.
Fifth:
The Cabinet approved a strategic cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Nations Environment Program.
A royal decree has been prepared, in this regard.
Sixth:
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Communications and Information Technology Commission, or his deputy, to discuss with the Australian side a draft memorandum of understanding between the Communications and Information Technology Commission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Communications and Media Authority of Australia, in the field of communications and information technology, and sign the final version to complete formal procedures.
Seventh:
The Cabinet approved an Air Services Agreement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Colombia.
A royal decree has been prepared in this regard.
Eighth:
The Cabinet approved a memorandum of cooperation between the Public Prosecution of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Public Prosecution of the Russian Federation.
A royal decree has been prepared, in this regard.
Ninth:
The Cabinet authorized the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), or his deputy, to discuss with the Kuwaiti side a draft memorandum of understanding between the Food and Drug Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Health of the State of Kuwait, for cooperation in the field of Pharmaceuticals, medical devices and supplies and clinical studies, and sign the final version to complete formal procedures.
Tenth:
The Cabinet authorized President of the Human Rights Commission, or his deputy, to discuss with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, a draft memorandum of understanding between the Human Rights Commission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, for combating crimes of trafficking in persons, and sign the final version to complete formal procedures.
Eleventh:
The Cabinet appointed the following as members of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Industrial Development Fund: Minister of Transport Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser; Chairman of the Local Content and Government Procurement Authority Dr. Ghassan Bin Abdulrahman Al-Shebl; Representative of the Ministry of Finance Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Namlah and Representative of the Ministry of Economy and Planning Dr. Abdulrahman bin Muayad Al-Qurtas.
Twelfth:
The Cabinet approved to launch a number of priority desalinated water production projects, priority sewage treatment projects, awarding and contracting them, in partnership with the private sector, as outlined in the resolution.
Thirteenth:
The Cabinet decided that the concerned authorities shall take the necessary steps to implement the operational plan of the Arab Strategy for Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (2030).
Fourteenth:
The Cabinet appointed Eng. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Khorayef; Eng. Ahmed bin Rashid Al-Balaa and Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Jomaih as members of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Export Development Authority.
The Cabinet approved a number of promotions as follows:
1- Eng. Khalid bin Hassan bin Mohammed Abunaji as Deputy Undersecretary for Hajj and Umrah Affairs at the 15th rank in Makkah Province.
2- Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Muhanna Al-Muhanna as (Security Advisor) at the 15th rank in the General Security.
3- Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Suleiman Al-Aqeel as (Director General of King Abdulaziz Port Customs) at the 15th rank in the General Authority of Customs.
4- Suleiman bin Abdullah bin Suleiman Al-Fraih as (Security Advisor) at the 14th rank at the Ministry of Interior
5- Saleh bin Yahiya bin Hassan Al-Fifi as Director General of Administrative and Financial Affairs at the 14th rank in the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.
6- Khalid bin Ali bin Abdulaziz Al-Arfaj as (scientific researcher) at the 14th rank at the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta.
The Cabinet reviewed a number of general topics on its agenda, including two annual reports of the Ministry of Economy and Planning and the General Presidency of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, for a previous fiscal year, and instructed appropriate recommendations, in their regard.