The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Prime Minister, chaired on Tuesday the Cabinet's virtual session. At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques thanked Allah Almighty for the abundant grace He bestowed on Muslims all over the world, as they observe the last blessed 10 days of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, praying to Allah Almighty to accept their worship and performance of overnight prayers as well as their good deeds. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques also thanked God for helping Umrah performers successfully finish their entire rituals and worship, appealing to Him to help the host country of Saudi Arabia successfully remain committed to best serving the Two Holy Mosques and worshippers coming from far and near, as its competent authorities are doing their best to provide the guests of Allah with comfort, security and safety. Then, the Cabinet expressed appreciation of the contents of the televised interview with HRH the Crown Prince, citing the comprehensive visions for a better future of the homeland and its citizens during which he summed up the exceptional achievements, aspired anticipations and ambitions as well as the planned objectives set forth in the Kingdom's Vision 2030. The Cabinet also praised HRH the Crown Prince for highlighting, during the recent interview, the Kingdom's stances, foreign policy and active international role, aiming at consolidating international security and stability and contributing to the growth and prosperity of the world economy. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Acting Minister of Media Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi stated that the Cabinet reviewed the contents of consultations and talks that took place during the past days between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a number of fraternal and brotherly countries, dealing with regional and international relations and developments, as well as the efforts being exerted to reach comprehensive political solutions in the region. The Cabinet reiterated the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's strong condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist attack that took place in the Afghani province of Logar, affirming Saudi Arabia's support for and solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan against all forms of terrorism, whatever its motives and justifications. Dr. Al-Qasabi said that the Cabinet was fully briefed on the latest developments of the coronavirus pandemic, including the latest virus statistics and related indicators, in light of the efforts being locally exerted to control the fluctuation in the curve of infections, as the epidemic continues to spread globally and record highest daily casualties. He reaffirmed the necessity that citizens and residents continue adhering to the preventive measures, and speed up taking the vaccines. The Cabinet was briefed on issues on its agenda, some of which are co-studied with the Shura council, including the conclusions reached by each of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, the Council of Political and Security Affairs, the Cabinet's General Committee and the Cabinet's Bureau of Experts, in their regard. Then, the Cabinet decided the following: First: The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Interior, or his deputy, to discuss a draft memorandum of understanding in the fields of education, training, scientific research and community service between the Directorate General of Border Guard at the Ministry of Interior (Jeddah Academy for Science and Maritime Security Studies) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Academy for Science Technology and Maritime Transport, an affiliate of the Arab League, sign it and forward the final version for further legal procedure. Second: The Cabinet approved a draft memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Council of Mosques Affairs of the Republic of Liberia in the field of Islamic affairs, and authorized the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, or his deputy, to discuss with the Liberian side the draft MoU and sign it. Third: The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Commerce, who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises, or his deputy, to discuss with the Indian side a draft memorandum of understanding between the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Small Industries Development Bank of the Republic of India in the field of enterprises, sign it and forward the final version for further legal procedure. Fourth: The Cabinet approved the accession of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the International Coral Reef Initiative. Fifth: The Cabinet approved a memorandum of scientific and educational cooperation between the Ministry of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Education of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Sixth: The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Education, or his deputy, to negotiate with the Kuwaiti side a draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of education between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the State of Kuwait, sign it and forward the final version for further legal procedure. Seventh: The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding between the Food and Drug Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the National Agency of Drug and Food Control of the Republic of Indonesia in the field of control, quality and safety of food and drug products. Eighth: The Cabinet approved the regulation of meteorology. Ninth: The Cabinet approved merging the General Authority of Zakat and Tax and the General Authority of Customs into one authority under the name of Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority. Moreover, the regulation of the new organization was endorsed. Tenth: The Cabinet licensed the National Bank of Iraq to open a branch in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Eleventh: The Cabinet approved each of the final account of the Public Pension Agency and University of Tabuk. Twelfth: The Cabinet approved a regulation on job-seeking subsidy. Thirteenth: The Cabinet approved promotions to the 15th as well as 14th ranks and a number of appointments. The Cabinet was briefed on a number of issues on its agenda and took relevant recommendations.
