The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet's session held on Tuesday afternoon at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh. At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques 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. Then, 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, backing collective Arab action, and fostering greater global cooperation in a range of fields. The Cabinet commended the contents of the speech of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince at the opening of the second edition of the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) Summit held in the Arab Republic of Egypt, as he announced that Saudi Arabia will establish and host a MGI Secretariat and will allocate USD 2.5 billion to support MGI projects and the budget of the Secretariat over the next ten years, and affirmed 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. Following the session, 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 the People's Democratic Republic of 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 enhances regional security and stability. 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 was briefed on a number of issues on its agenda and issued the following decisions: First: The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs – or his representative – 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. Second: The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding regarding the formation of the Council of the Strategic Partnership between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Hellenic Republic. Third: The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs – or his representative – to discuss and sign with the International Dates Council regarding a draft headquarters agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the International Dates Council. Fourth: The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Culture – or his representative – 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 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Colombia. Fifth: The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Justice – or his representative – to discuss and sign with the Malaysian side regarding a draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the judicial field between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Malaysia. Sixth: The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Investment - or his representative - to discuss and sign with the Turkish side regarding a draft memorandum of understanding between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Republic of Turkiye for cooperation in the field of direct investment promotion. Seventh: The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding in the field of tourism between the Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Tourism of the Federative Republic of Brazil. Eighth: The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Commerce, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises - or his representative - to discuss and sign with the Azerbaijani side regarding a draft memorandum of understanding between the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Agency for Development of Small and Medium Businesses of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the field of developing the small enterprises sector and entrepreneurship. Ninth: 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. Tenth: The Cabinet approved to appoint Eng. Abdullah bin Salem bin Nooh, and Eng. Ahmed bin Abdulwahab Abed, as representatives from the private sector with expertise and competence at the Board of Directors of the Saudi Grains Organization. Eleventh: The Cabinet approved an appointment to the post of (Minister Plenipotentiary) and promotions to the fourteenth rank. The Cabinet also reviewed several issues on its agenda and took necessary procedures regarding them.
