Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet session held in Riyadh on Tuesday.
The Cabinet affirmed that the visit of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to the United States aims to strengthen bilateral relations and the strategic partnership between the two friendly countries across various fields, while striving to achieve their shared vision for a secure and stable Middle East.
The Cabinet reviewed the recent discussions between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and several countries worldwide, including the two messages received by HRH the Crown Prince from President Lee Jae-myung of the Republic of Korea and President Masoud Pezeshkian of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Cabinet also discussed the content of the Kingdom's participation in regional and international meetings, reiterating Saudi Arabia's emphasis at the 42nd meeting of the GCC Interior Ministers on the importance of integrated joint action to confront security challenges.
This commitment aims to protect homelands and societies while enhancing opportunities for development and prosperity in the region.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of State, Cabinet Member for Shura Council Affairs, and Acting Minister of Media Issam bin Saad bin Saeed said the Cabinet commended the Kingdom's global pronouncements in the tourism sector, most notably the Riyadh Declaration adopted during the 26th session of the United Nations Tourism Organization General Assembly.
This declaration serves as a roadmap for a more inclusive and sustainable future for the sector and is considered a key driver of national growth.
The Cabinet also expressed its appreciation for the patronage of HRH the Crown Prince for the fourth edition of the Global AI Summit, to be held in the Kingdom in 2026.
This patronage is part of the Kingdom's ongoing efforts to make innovation and digital transformation fundamental pillars for building a sustainable and globally competitive knowledge-based economy.
The Cabinet praised the Digital Government Forum held in Riyadh, which showcased innovative and high-quality initiatives supported by artificial intelligence technologies.
It also commended the significant progress made by government entities in measuring digital transformation and the adequacy of digital content for 2025, reflecting the continued development of services provided to citizens, residents, and visitors.
The Cabinet commended the integration of national efforts in developing local content and contributing to raising the localization rate of military spending to 24.89% by the end of 2024, thus reinforcing the continuous progress in the localization process in this sector to reach more than 50% by 2030.
The Cabinet addressed other items on its agenda and issued several decisions, including the following:
First:
Approving guidelines for a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in development fields between the Saudi National Development Fund and its counterparts in other countries, and authorizing chairman of the board of directors of the National Development Fund, or a deputy, to discuss and sign a draft memorandum with relevant counterparts based on the approved guidelines.
Second:
Authorizing the minister of foreign affairs, or a deputy, to discuss and sign a draft memorandum of understanding on political consultations with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic.
Third:
Approving a memorandum of understanding on Islamic affairs between the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance and the Turkish Presidency of Religious Affairs.
Fourth:
Authorizing the minister of human resources and social development, or a deputy, to discuss and sign a draft memorandum of understanding on youth development cooperation between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.
Fifth:
Authorizing the minister of finance and chairman of the board of directors of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, or a deputy, to sign a draft memorandum of understanding on customs cooperation and mutual assistance between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Republic of Kenya.
Sixth:
Approving a memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Food and Drug Authority and the Jordan Food and Drug Administration for cooperation within their respective mandates.
Seventh:
Authorizing the chairman of the board of directors of the Education and Training Evaluation Commission, or a deputy, to discuss and sign a draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation in measurement, evaluation, and accreditation in education and the national qualifications framework with the Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education.
Eighth:
Authorizing the minister of education and chairman of the board of directors of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, or a deputy, to discuss and sign a draft memorandum of understanding on technical and vocational training with the Russian Federal Institute for the Development of Vocational Education and Training.
Ninth:
Approving a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Saudi National Competitiveness Center and the Singapore Ministry of Law.