The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, chaired the Cabinet meeting held this afternoon (Tuesday) at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah.

At the beginning of the session, the Cabinet was briefed on the contents of the talks that took place between Saudi Arabia and a number of brotherly and friendly countries during the past days, including the messages received by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques from the leaders of the Sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Qatar, and the Republic of Tajikistan, as well as the telephone call received by the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, from the President of the Russian Federation.

The Council also touched upon the content of the meeting between the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the President of the United States of America, who paid an official visit to Saudi Arabia, and what the Crown Prince’s talks with President Joseph Biden included in reviewing aspects of the strategic partnership between the two countries for the coming decades, with the aim of strengthening their shared vision towards a Middle East characterized by stability, prosperity, security and peace.

In this context, the Cabinet discussed the signing of 18 agreements and memoranda of understanding during the US President's visit to Saudi Arabia, covering the fields of energy, investment, communications, space, and health. It also noted the reaffirmation by the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the United States of their shared commitment to strengthening cooperation, coordination, and consultation across all sectors. Furthermore, the Cabinet highlighted the focus of the Jeddah Summit on Security and Development, held with the participation of leaders from the GCC, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, and the United States, on regional security, food security, environmental challenges, and joint projects among the countries of the region.

Following the session, Minister of State and Cabinet Member for Shura Council Affairs and Acting Minister of Information, Dr. Essam bin Saad bin Saeed, explained that the Council praised the results achieved during the visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Saudi Arabia and his talks with the Crown Prince, which expanded the scope of bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries. These results included the signing of a number of agreements and memoranda of cooperation in various fields, and the emphasis on joint coordination regarding regional and international issues.

Following that, the Cabinet reviewed the results of the meetings of the foreign ministers, finance ministers and central bank governors of the G20 countries held in Bali, Indonesia, reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s commitment to strengthening collective efforts aimed at building bridges with regional and international organizations, thereby increasing the effectiveness of joint action towards comprehensive and sustainable growth and recovery.

The Council described Saudi Arabia’s chairmanship of the donor group supporting the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs from July 2022 to June 2023 as consolidating its position among the world’s leading countries in providing development and humanitarian aid, expressing hope that the strategic plan to be implemented during Saudi Arabia’s chairmanship of the group will contribute to expanding the donor base, bringing in new members, and enhancing the coordination of humanitarian response and the delivery of aid to those who deserve it.

The Cabinet noted the conclusions reached by the five-member committee on Yemen, which includes Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Britain, and the United States, regarding the importance of maintaining the truce between the Yemeni parties, providing full support for the efforts of the UN Special Envoy, and continuing to support the UN humanitarian response plan.

On the domestic front, the Council affirmed the state’s keenness to consider the needs of the most vulnerable citizens in the face of the effects of rising global prices, including the allocation of 20 billion riyals in financial support, and the taking of measures to control the availability of products and price levels, protect and encourage fair competition, and combat and prevent monopolistic practices.

He explained that the Cabinet endorsed what the Crown Prince announced regarding the national aspirations and priorities for research, development and innovation in Saudi Arabia for the next two decades, which are based on four main priorities: human health, environmental sustainability and basic needs, leadership in energy and industry, and future economies, which will enhance Saudi Arabia’s competitiveness and position as the largest economy in the region, and is in line with the directions of Vision 2030.

The Council appreciated the efforts of workers and volunteers in all governmental and private sectors who contributed to the success of the Hajj season of 1443, in continuation of what God has honored this blessed country with in serving the Two Holy Mosques, and providing comfort, safety and reassurance to their visitors through a system of advanced services with the latest technologies and the highest quality standards.

The Cabinet reviewed the topics on its agenda, including topics that the Shura Council had participated in studying. It also reviewed the conclusions reached by the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, the Council of Political and Security Affairs, the General Committee of the Cabinet, and the Council of Experts regarding these topics.

The council concluded the following:

Firstly:

The Minister of Foreign Affairs - or his representative - is authorized to discuss with the Rwandan side the draft memorandum of understanding regarding political consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Rwanda, and to sign it, and then submit the final signed version, to complete the regulatory procedures.

secondly:

Approval of a general cooperation agreement between the Government of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Republic of Uganda, and a memorandum of understanding regarding political consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uganda.

Third:

The Minister of Communications and Information Technology - or his representative - is authorized to discuss with the Brazilian side the draft memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation in the Federative Republic of Brazil for cooperation in the field of innovation, digital economy and emerging technologies, and to sign it, and then submit the final signed version, to complete the regulatory procedures.

Fourth:

The Minister of Foreign Affairs - or his representative - is authorized to discuss with the Digital Cooperation Organization the draft headquarters agreement between the Government of Saudi Arabia and the Digital Cooperation Organization, and to sign it, and then submit the final signed version to complete the regulatory procedures.

Fifth:

The Minister of Transport and Logistics - or his representative - is authorized to discuss with the Emirati side the two draft memoranda of understanding for cooperation in the fields of the future of transport and road safety and maintenance between the Ministry of Transport and Logistics in Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates, and to sign them, and then submit the two final signed versions to complete the regulatory procedures.

Sixth:

The Minister of Culture, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts - or his representative - is authorized to discuss with the Moroccan side the draft memorandum of understanding between the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts in Saudi Arabia and the Academy of Traditional Arts affiliated with the Hassan II Mosque Foundation in the Kingdom of Morocco for cooperation in the cultural field, and to sign it, and then submit the final signed version, to complete the regulatory procedures.

Seventh:

Approval of a protocol to amend and extend the agreement concluded between the Government of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the United States of America regarding cooperation in the field of science and technology.

Eighth:

Approval of a cooperation agreement between the Government of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Republic of Iraq in the field of maritime transport.

Ninth:

Approval of the organizational arrangements for the Strategic Office for the Development of the Al-Baha Region.

Tenth:

The task of supervising and operating the Quba Mosque has been transferred to the Madinah Region Development Authority instead of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance.

Eleventh:

Supervision of the postal sector was transferred from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to the Ministry of Transport and Logistics.

twelfth:

Approval of the organization of the Supreme Authority for Industrial Security.

Thirteenth:

Engineer Khalid bin Abdullah Al-Haqil, Engineer Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Obaikan, and Mohammed bin Ali Al-Majdoui were appointed as members of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Center for Economic Business from the private sector.

Fourteenth:

Approval of the state's property leasing system.

Fifteenth:

Approval of appointments to the position of "Ambassador" and promotions to the "Fifteenth" and "Fourteenth" ranks, as follows:

- Appointing Dr. Faisal bin Saud bin Faisal Al-Mujfel to the position of “Ambassador”.

- Engineer Osama bin Hamad bin Saad bin Jafal was promoted to the position of “Senior Business Advisor” at the “fifteenth” rank in the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance.

- Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Saud Al-Hamad was promoted to the position of “Senior Business Advisor” at the “fifteenth” rank at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University.

- Khalid bin Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Suwaih was promoted to the position of “Office Manager” at the “fourteenth” rank in the General Auditing Bureau.

The Cabinet also reviewed a number of general topics on its agenda, including annual reports from the National Debt Management Center, the Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation, the Saudi Fund for Development, the Education and Training Evaluation Commission, and the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority. The Cabinet took the necessary action regarding these topics.