NEOM, SPA:
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet's session held in Neom, Tabuk Region on Tuesday afternoon.
At the outset of the session, the Cabinet offered its sincere condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and the royal family on the death of Prince Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and to his family, praying to Allah Almighty to bestow mercy upon the soul of the deceased prince.
The King expressed his thanks and appreciation to the leaders and envoys of a number of countries, princes, scholars, ministers, senior officials and citizens who offered their condolences on the death of Prince Bandar bin Abdulaziz, praying to Allah Almighty to bestow mercy upon the soul of the deceased prince.
Then, the King congratulated pilgrims from inside and outside the Kingdom for arriving in the holy land, praising Allah Almighty for the honor bestowed upon the Kingdom's leadership and people to serve the Two Holy Mosques, pilgrims, Umrah performers and visitors, praying also for helping pilgrims to perform Hajj rituals and accept them. The King was reassured about the completion of preparations provided by various sectors for the service of pilgrims and their comfort in Makkah, Madinah and holy sites, directing all sectors of the State to provide best services for pilgrims.
Minister of State, Cabinet's Member and Acting Minister of Media Dr. Essam bin Saad bin Saeed said in a statement to Saudi Press Agency following the session that the Cabinet reviewed a number of reports on latest developments. The Cabinet commended the signing of the minutes of the establishment of Saudi-Bahraini Coordinating Council which will lead to a number of specialized committees in political, military, economic, investment, media and social fields to enhance the prospects for the joint action, cooperation and integration between the two countries and advance the process of the joint cooperation between them for the interest of their peoples.
The Cabinet expressed its deepest and sincere condolences to the Government and people of the Republic of Tunisia on the death of President Beji Caid Essebsi and to the family of the deceased, praying to Allah Almighty to bestow mercy upon the soul of the deceased President.
The Minister said that the Cabinet expressed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist bombing that targeted the headquarters of Municipality of Mogadishu, Somalia, and the terrorist attacks in Kabul and northeastern Nigeria. It expressed condolences to the families of the victims and the Governments and peoples of Somalia, Afghanistan and Nigeria, wishing the injured a speedy recovery, renewing the Kingdom's solidarity with countries against all forms of violence, extremism and terrorism.
The Cabinet issued the following decisions:
First:
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Interior, or his deputy, to discuss with the Kuwaiti side a draft cooperation agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the State of Kuwait in the field of fighting against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and chemical precursors and their smuggling, sign it, and submit the final version to complete formal procedures.
Second:
The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of the Interior of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China in the field of combating cybercrime.
A royal decree has been prepared in this regard.
Third:
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Interior, or his deputy, to discuss with the Iraqi side a draft security cooperation agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Republic of Iraq, sign it, and submit the final version to complete formal procedures.
Forth:
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 Macedonia.
Fifth:
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Commerce and Investment, or his deputy, to sign the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, and sign the final version to complete formal procedures.
Sixth:
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Commerce and Investment, who is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP), or his deputy, to discuss with the Japanese side a draft memorandum of cooperation in the field of intellectual property between SAIP of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian and Japan Patent Office, and sign the final version to complete formal procedures.
Seventh:
The Cabinet approved Saudi Arabia's accession to Growth Pursuit Project of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The Ministry of Economy and Planning will complete the rest of the formalities.
Eighth:
Referring to its former decision No. 104 dated 3/4/1430 H., the Cabinet transferred the authority assigned for the Promotion of Psychologic Health from a commission to a center, renaming it as the National Center for the Promotion of Psychologic Health.
Ninth:
The Cabinet approved the structure and organizational guide of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development.
Tenth:
Referring to the Council of Economic Affairs and Development recommendations No. 3-52/40/D dated 22/10/1440 H., the Cabinet transferred the "National Program to Upgrade the Efficiency of Government Expenditure through Functional practices from the Ministry of Civil Service to the Center for the Achievement of the Efficiency of Expenditure.
Eleventh:
Having reviewed the recommendations made by the Council of Economic Affairs and Development (22- 52/40/D) dated 22/10/1440 H., the Cabinet assigned the Saudi Railways Company (SAR) to implement the railways initiatives listed and approved within the initiatives of National Industries and Logistics Services Development Program.
Twelfth:
The Cabinet approved promotions to 15 and 14 ranks, as follows:
1- Abdulrahman bin Mohammed bin Fahd Al-Saab to the post of Director General of the Financial Affairs and Budget, rank 15, a the Armed Forces.
2- Saad bin Mohammed Saad Al-Mushawah to the post of Director General of Water, rank 15, at the General Directorate of Water Services, Riyadh Region.
3- Humud bin Abdulrahman bin Humud Al-Otaibi to the post of Administrative Counselor, rank 15, at the Ministry of Media.
4- Eng. Ahmed bin Nasser bin Ahmed Ali Missfer to the post of Deputy Undersecretary for Reconstruction and Projects, rank 14, at Principality of Asseer Region.
5- Eng. Abdullatif bin Hamad bin Saleh Al-Khateeb to the post of Deputy to the Undersecretary for Services, rank 14, at the Principality of Qassim Region.
6- Hassan bin Yahiya bin Abdullah Al Hatim to the post of Director General of the Minister's Office, rank 14, at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.
The Cabinet also reviewed a number of issues on its agenda, including two annual reports of the Public Pension Agency and the National Center for Archives and Records, for two previous years. The Cabinet made appropriate recommendations, in their respect.