The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet's session at Rawdhat Khuraim in Riyadh region on Monday afternoon. At the outset of the session, the King briefed the Cabinet on the outcomes of his talks with Prime Minister of Britain Theresa May, meetings with Minister of Defense of Republic of Azerbaijan General Zakir Hasanov, a delegation from Middle East Group of British Conservative Party and the telephone call with President Donald Trump of the United States of America. The Cabinet congratulated the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on the occasion of receiving King Faisal International Prize for the Service of Islam for this year in recognition of his care for the service of the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors, his attention to the Prophet's biography, support for the historic Atlas project of the Prophet's biography, and permanent seeking for unifying Arab and Muslim ranks to confront difficult circumstances being experienced by Arab and Islamic nations. It also congratulated the King on being awarded Prince Naif Medal for Arab security of the excellent class at the conclusion of the Council of Arab Ministers of Interior at its 34th session held in Tunisia under the chairmanship of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Interior, Honorary President of the Council of Arab Ministers of Interior and Chairman of Board of Trustees of Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Award for Arab Security, as well as the King's pioneering and distinguished roles in supporting the issues of Islamic and Arab nations and his efforts to maintain international security and peace. Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Adel bin Zaid Altoraifi said in a statement to Saudi Press Agency that the Cabinet reviewed the statement issued by the Council of Arab Interior Ministers, and its decisions and recommendations including the adoption of reports on Arab strategies to combat the illicit use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, anti-terrorism, traffic safety, civil protection and intellectual security. The Cabinet hailed the launch of the largest cultural, sports and entertainment city in south of Riyadh, on an area of 334 kilometers as part of efforts to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 through the creation of qualitative and distinctive investments inside the Kingdom in the service of homeland and citizens that contribute to the diversification of national income sources as per announcement of the Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Second Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense, who is also President of the Board of Directors of Public Investment Fund. The Cabinet highlighted remarks made by the Deputy Crown Prince during his meeting with senior Yemeni tribal leaders that the Kingdom views Yemen as a strategic depth for the Arab nation and that the biggest mistake made by the coup designers in Sanaa was that it tried to attack us from behind i.e., from the strategic base of Arab nation, the "Republic of Yemen", adding that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other GCC member states as well as Islamic and Arab countries are determined and consider standing beside Yemen as their duty. The Cabinet expressed appreciation of the Yemeni tribal leaders for their statement hailing the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the efforts of the Arab Coalition Forces, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support the Yemeni people to restore security and stability to Yemen and its people, as well as the Kingdom's efforts represented by its humanitarian work through King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Works. Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Adel bin Zaid Altoraifi said that the Cabinet, then, discussed a number of reports on the development of events at the regional and international arenas, stressing the Kingdom's keenness to contribute effectively to the joint Arab action, emanating from its Islamic and Arab responsibilities based on the Kingdom's diversified potentials, capabilities and experiences including its signature of a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint Arab electricity market as part of 14 Arab countries during the 12th session of the Arab Ministerial Council for Electricity held in Cairo, reflecting the Kingdom's endeavor to diversify the sources of energy used in the production of power and promote investments according to the Kingdom's Vision 2030. The Cabinet also expressed the Kingdom's condemnation and denunciation of the chemical weapons attack on the city of Khan Shekhoun, north of Idlib, Syria, which claimed the lives of dozens of unarmed children, women and civilians in a new human tragedy committed by the Syrian regime, expressing full support for US military operations against military targets in Syria, in response to the regime's heinous crimes against the Syrian people, amid the failure of the international community to deter this regime. The Cabinet stressed the firm position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the importance of Syria's integral unity, preservation of government institutions and the endeavor to find a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis since its inception according to Geneva I, the UN Security Council resolution No. 2254 as well as other relevant resolutions to evade an humanitarian tragedy. The Cabinet also stressed the importance of implementing the agreements which garnered the support of the world community as regards ceasefire, delivery of humanitarian assistance, and release of detainees and the abducted by the Syrian regime and its militias. The Cabinet reiterated the Kingdom's strong denunciation and condemnation of the explosions that took place in the Egyptian cities of Tanta and Alexandria, the explosion at a metro station in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, and the truck attack in the Swedish capital of Stockholm, killing and injuring dozens of innocent civilians and police. The Cabinet offered the families of the deceased sincere condolence, wishing the injured a quick recovery. It stated that such terrorist acts are contradictory to the religious principles as well as all ethical and humanitarian values, citing the contents of the telephone calls the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques made to each of President Abdulfattah Al-Sisi of Egypt and President Vladimir Putin of Russia, confirming the Kingdom's firm stand by their side in the fight against terror in all its manifestations and forms, underscoring the importance of intensifying the international efforts to root it out. Dr. Altoraifi said that the Cabinet was briefed on the agenda, including some co-studied by the Shura Council. The Cabinet concluded the following. First: The Cabinet authorized the minister of foreign affairs or his deputy to discuss with the Filipino side a draft memorandum of understanding on political consultations between the ministry of foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the foreign ministry of the Republic of The Philippines, sign it and forward the final version for legal procedure. Second: The Cabinet authorized the minister of environment, water and agriculture or his deputy to discuss with the South African side a draft memorandum of understanding on technical cooperation in the field of agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of South Africa, sign it and forward the final version for legal procedure. Third: The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding for joint cooperation in the field of housing between the Ministry of Housing of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Land, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Korea, which was signed in Seoul on 15/06/1438H. Fourth: The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of housing between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the People's Republic of China, which was signed in Beijing on 27/11/1437H. Fifth: The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Education, or his deputy, to discuss and sign with the UAE side a draft memorandum of scientific and educational cooperation between the Ministry of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Education of the United Arab Emirates. Sixth: The Cabinet authorized the President of National Anti-Corruption Commission, or his deputy, to discuss and sign with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime a draft memorandum of understanding between the National Anti-Corruption Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Seventh: The Cabinet approved that the General Commission for Sports shall be organizationally linked to the Council of Economic Affairs and Development. Eighth: The Cabinet approved the appointment of Dr. Abdulmalik bin Abdullah Al-Huqail as member of the Board of Directors of the Public Pension Agency, representing the private sector. Ninth: The Cabinet approved the accession of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments for 2004. Tenth: The Cabinet approved that the State shall bear the visa fees for seasonal employmees who work for the Adahi and Hadi (Hajj sacrifice meat) Project for five years as prescribed by Royal Decree No. M/68 dated 06/11/1437H. Eleventh: The Cabinet approved a number of promotions as follows: 1- Abdullah bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Jowair promoted to the post of Legal Advisor (Rank 15) at the Ministry of Justice. 2- Eng. Abdulsalam bin Suleiman bin Mohammed Mashat promoted to the post of Deputy Mayor for Services (Rank 15) at the Municipality of Makkah. 3- Muaijl bin Ali bin Sulaiman Al-Roumi promoted to the post of Security Advisor (Rank 14) at the Ministry of Interior. 4- Mohammed bin Fahad bin Abdulrahman Al-Shubrami promoted to the post of Minister Plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 5- Mohammed bin Fayez bin Naor Al-Shaalan promoted to the post of Minister Plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Cabinet was briefed on a number of general topics on its agenda, including the annual reports for previous fiscal years for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and the Saudi Custom and the Real Estate Development Fund. The Cabinet was also briefed on the outcomes of the 29th ministerial session of the Economic and Social Council for Western Asia (ESCWA) which was held in the State of Qatar during the period 14-16/03/1438H. The Cabinet issued recommendations towards these issues.
