Saudi Gazette report
JEDDAH – Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, instructed all government and private agencies to do everything that would help the guests of Allah to perform their rituals with all the tranquility, security and safety. Presiding over the weekly session of the Cabinet at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, the Crown Prince urged the agencies to realize the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, who is keen in extending the best services for the pilgrims with a further qualitative improvement in these, year after year. While welcoming the Haj pilgrims, he emphasized the Kingdom’s great responsibility as it was honored with serving the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah as well as the holy sites with making available of all the facilities and services for the pilgrims, who have started flocking to the Kingdom from all over the world.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Culture and Information Awwad Al-Awwad said the Council noted the Iranian authorities’ continued disruptions in completing the procedures to probe into the incidents of attacks on Saudi embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad. “This reflects the behavior and conduct of the Iranian government and its disregard of the international conventions, charters and laws, as well as violation of the sanctity of diplomatic missions — a behavior the Iranian government was accustomed to for nearly four decades,” the Council pointed out.
Awwad said the Cabinet strongly condemned the terrorist attack that targeted the Iraqi embassy in Kabul, and the suicide attack in Bakrabad, west of Afghanistan, while reiterating the solidarity of the Kingdom and its support to Iraq and Afghanistan in their fight against terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations. The Council lauded the declaration by the Crown Prince to launch the Red Sea international tourist project, covering more than 50 islands falling between the cities of Amlaj and Al-Wajh, noting that the project is expected to establish a pioneering tourism destination through creating a qualitative leap in the Kingdom’s tourism and hospitality sectors.
The Cabinet approved regulations for the creation of an alimony fund. The fund, with separate budget, shall be linked to the minister of justice, and the fund shall have a board of directors, headed by the minister of justice.
The Cabinet decided that the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) shall take the necessary steps to authorize foreign companies engaged in the field of engineering services and associated consultancy to invest in the Kingdom with a 100% ownership after fulfilling certain conditions. The Council also endorsed a labor cooperation agreement for general workers between the Ministry of Labor and Social Development and India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signed in Riyadh in 2016.
