The Cabinet, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Tuesday afternoon at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, commended Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman's announcement of Kingdom host a dedicated MGI Secretariat and will allocate $2.5 billion to support MGI projects and the budget of the secretariat over the next ten years. The Crown Prince made these announcements at the opening of the second edition of the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) Summit held in Egypt. The Crown Prince also affirmed the commitment to work with the countries of the region to achieve the goals of the initiative to be a global model for combating climate change. At the outset of the session, King Salman briefed the Cabinet on the content of the message he had received from the Chairman of the National Committee of Reconciliation and Development, Head of State, and President of the Republic Guinea. The Cabinet discussed the most recent developments to the Kingdom's foreign policy, particularly in respect to strengthening Saudi Arabia's ties with the brotherly and friendly countries, while backing collective Arab action, and fostering greater global cooperation in a range of fields. Acting Minister of Media Dr. Majid Bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi told the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) that the Cabinet valued the outcomes of the Arab League's Council at the summit level in its 31st session held in Algeria, and the consensus it reflected on issues of concern to the region's countries and peoples, in a way that addresses common challenges and opportunities. The Cabinet affirmed that the Kingdom's decision to host the 32nd Arab Summit stems from its keenness to uphold cooperation among the Arab countries at all levels by receiving leaders of member states in their second country. The Cabinet expressed satisfaction with the growth of GDP by 8.6% in the third quarter of 2022, compared to the same period last year, with the lowest rate of inflation among the G20 nations. The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss and sign the Voluntary Charter between States and the Secretary-General of the United Nations to support mutual commitment and solidarity as well as preventing sexual exploitation and abuse in the United Nations system. It approved a memorandum of understanding regarding the formation of the Council of the Strategic Partnership between the government of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Hellenic Republic. It authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss and sign with the International Dates Council regarding a draft headquarters agreement between the government of Saudi Arabia and the International Dates Council. The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Culture to discuss and sign with the Colombian side regarding a draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the cultural field between the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Culture of Colombia. It authorized the Minister of Justice to discuss and sign with the Malaysian side regarding a draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the judicial field between the government of Saudi Arabia and the government of Malaysia. It authorized the Minister of Investment to discuss and sign with the Turkish side regarding a draft memorandum of understanding between the government of Saudi Arabia and the government of Turkiye for cooperation in the field of direct investment promotion. The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding in the field of tourism between the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Tourism of Brazil. It authorized the Minister of Commerce, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises to discuss and sign with the Azerbaijani side regarding a draft memorandum of understanding between the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises of Saudi Arabia and the Agency for Development of Small and Medium Businesses of Azerbaijan in the field of developing the small enterprises sector and entrepreneurship. The Cabinet approved changing the duration of stay in a single entry to three (3) months for all purposes of the visit visa. The Cabinet also approved changing the visit structure's timetable so that the visit transit visa's validity would be three months and its length of stay would be 96 hours, both of which would be free of charge. — SPA
