The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prime Minister, chaired the Cabinet's virtual session held on Tuesday.
At the outset of the session, the Cabinet was briefed on the content of the phone call the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques received from Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait. The Cabinet also was briefed on the meetings that recently took place between officials in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and their counterparts in a number of countries, with the aim of developing and pushing relations to wider horizons in a way that enhances and consolidates cooperation in all fields and supports everything that would support international peace and security.
The Cabinet in this regard addressed the outcomes of the 18th session of the Joint Defense Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab States Ministers of Defense. The Cabinet also welcomed the inauguration of the headquarters of the Unified Military Command (UMC) in Riyadh to strengthen the joint defense action and contribute to the security and stability of the region.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Acting Minister of Media Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi said that the Cabinet touched on the contents of the meetings of US-GCC Working Group on Iran, held under the presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The group stressed the shared determination to contribute to regional security and stability. It also condemned Iran's aggressive policies, expressing its support for international efforts to prevent its possession of nuclear weapons. It also called for Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and commit to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, ahead of the comprehensive diplomatic efforts of all relevant parties to address all issues related to the sustainability of security, safety, and prosperity in the region.
The Cabinet followed the development of events at the regional and international levels as well as the international efforts exerted in this regard. The Cabinet stressed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's speech during the special meeting of the United Nations on "Terrorist-financing threats and trends and the implementation of Security Council resolution 2462". Saudi Arabia affirmed interest in strengthening international cooperation in the field of anti-money laundering, combatting the financing of terrorism and preventing the provision of any form of support to entities and persons involved in this action.
The Cabinet welcomed the agreement reached between parties involved in the transitional phase in the Republic of Sudan on all tasks of the next phase, which includes restoring transitional institutions and holding elections on time, reiterating the Kingdom's position that supports everything that would achieve peace and maintain security, stability and development in Sudan.
The Cabinet was briefed on a number of issues on its agenda and issued the following decisions:
First:
The Cabinet approved the guidance model of the extradition convention between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the governments of other countries, and authorized the Minister of Interior – or a representative – to hold talks with other countries regarding a draft convention on extradition between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the governments of other countries, before referring the final signed copy to proceed with formal procedures.
Second:
The Cabinet approved a general cooperation agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of Rwanda.
Third:
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Communications and Information Technology – or a representative – to hold talks with the Indian side on a draft memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in the Republic of India regarding cooperation in the field of digitization and electronic manufacturing, before referring the final signed copy to proceed with formal procedures.
Fourth:
The Cabinet extended the secondment of the services of Dr. Hanan bint Hassan bin Omar Balkhi, who serves as a consultant doctor in the Ministry of National Guard, to work at the World Health Organization.
Fifth:
The Cabinet approved final accounts of the General Irrigation Organization and General Authority for Zakat and Tax (formerly), for the previous two fiscal years.
Sixth:
The Cabinet approved a guide for preparing annual reports for public bodies.
Seventh:
Amending some articles on regulation of the General Authority for Competition, issued by Cabinet Decision No. (55) dated 20/1/1439 AH, related to the Authority's Board of Directors.
Eighth:
The Cabinet approved a number of promotions at (14-15) ranks and appointments to the post of Minister Plenipotentiary. The Cabinet also reviewed a number of general topics on its agenda and took the necessary measures regarding these topics.
