Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet session held today in Riyadh.
The Cabinet was briefed on the content of the message His Royal Highness the Crown Prince received from the UAE vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai concerning ties between the two countries and their peoples, and ways to strengthen them.
The Cabinet went over the content of the talks between the Kingdom and a number of countries concerning the ongoing escalation in Gaza and other related developments, including the phone calls HRH the Crown Prince received from the presidents of Turkiye, Iran and France, as well as the meeting he held with the US secretary of state.
The Cabinet renewed the Kingdom's categorical rejection of calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people, and demanded an immediate ceasefire, lifting the siege on Gaza and advancing the peace process in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari said that the Cabinet discussed the overall foreign policy of the Kingdom, including strengthening ties with various countries.
The Cabinet reviewed the outcome of the eighth Saudi-Russian Joint Committee meetings, which aim to boost cooperation in vital areas, to achieve desired future goals.
The Cabinet highlighted the Kingdom's stand during the Council of Ministers meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), when it renewed its support for efforts to confront the challenges facing maritime safety and global trade, and to secure the freedom of global navigation.
Concerning the UN's selection of Riyadh to host the 19th edition of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in 2024, the Cabinet said it is testimony to the Kingdom’s global leadership in this field, and to its efforts to create an infrastructure capable of nurturing sustainable development goals and serving communities and the business sector.
The Cabinet stressed that Saudi Arabia’s membership in the Global CCS Institute bolsters its endeavor to attain its ambitious climate goals and its target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2060.
Domestically, the Cabinet applauded HRH the Crown Prince's launch of the master plan for the new Abha International Airport, which is proof of the leadership's keenness to ensure that all regions of the Kingdom are developed through lending support to the air transport sector, increasing airport capacity, and increasing the frequency of flights, which contributes to greater mobility, support for tourism programs and a better quality of life.
The Cabinet also tackled the recent economic developments in the Kingdom, not least of which the September report about the lowest level of inflation since February 2022, which reflects the strength of the Saudi economy and the effectiveness of the economic procedures and measures taken to deal with the global wave of price increases.
The Cabinet addressed other items on its agenda and issued several decisions, among which the following:
First:
Authorizing the minister of foreign affairs, or a deputy, to discuss with the Korean side a draft memorandum of understanding regarding the establishment of the joint Strategic Partnership Council.
Second:
Approving the draft protocol amending the minutes establishing the Saudi-Jordanian Coordination Council.
Third:
Approving the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Grenada, at non-resident ambassador level, and authorizing the minister of foreign affairs, or a deputy, to sign the draft protocol for establishing diplomatic relations with this country.
Fourth:
Authorizing the minister of environment, water and agriculture, or a deputy, to discuss with the counterpart at the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of the Republic of India a draft MoU concerning agriculture and food security.
Fifth:
Authorizing the minister of environment, water and agriculture, or a deputy, to discuss with the Korean side a draft MoU for cooperation in the field.
Sixth:
Authorizing the minister of economy and planning, or a deputy, to discuss with the counterpart at the Ministry of Social and Family Development of the Republic of Singapore a draft MoU of cooperation in the social, economic and development field.
Seventh:
Authorizing the minister of commerce and chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority of Foreign Trade, or a deputy, to discuss with the Thai side a draft MoU between the General Authority of Foreign Trade of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Commerce of the Kingdom of Thailand on boosting trade between the two countries.
Eighth:
Authorizing the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, or a deputy, to discuss with the Indonesian side a draft MoU between SFDA and the Indonesian Halal Products Assurance Agency for cooperation in quality assurance of halal products.
Ninth:
Authorizing the chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, or a deputy, to hold talks with the Singaporean side regarding a draft memorandum of understanding between the authority and the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore for cooperation in quality control of halal products.
Tenth:
Authorizing the secretary-general of the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue, or a deputy, to hold talks about a draft agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on establishing a regional center for dialogue and peace under UNESCO auspices (2nd category).
Eleventh:
Authorizing Advisor at the Royal Court Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi, or a deputy, to hold talks about a draft memorandum of understanding between the governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and of Singapore for cooperation to develop human capital and leaders in the public sectors in the two countries.
Twelfth:
Approving the regulation for the General Authority for Defense Development.
Thirteenth:
Approving the establishment of the National Center for Inspection and Oversight.
