King Salman’s Gulf visit to bolster ties, hopes Cabinet

RIYADH – The Council of Ministers on Monday expressed hope that the current visit of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to four Gulf states and his meeting with the Gulf heads of state would help further bolster fraternal relations between the Kingdom and these states. Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, chaired the weekly session of the Cabinet at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh. The Crown Prince congratulated Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh for being re-appointed as the chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars. He also congratulated members of the Council as well as president and members of the newly constituted Shoura Council. The Crown Prince welcomed Ali Al-Ghafis, the new minister of labor and social development. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and Acting Minister of Culture and Information Abdurahman Al-Fadli said that the Council lauded the decision of the ministerial level conference of OPEC, held recently in Vienna, to restore the stability of the global oil market through a cut in production. The Cabinet also commended the cooperation and contribution of major oil producing countries outside OPEC in maintaining stability and balance of the world oil market. This cooperation would contribute to not only maintaining the oil market stability but also continue pumping long term investments into this vital sector in a way producing positive impact on the economy of the world, especially that of the consumer countries, the Council pointed out. On the occasion of the International Solidarity Day with the Palestinian people, the Cabinet renewed the Kingdom’s call to the international community to do justice to the Palestinian people and prevent Israel from pursuing its arbitrary and hostile policies. Al-Fadli said the Cabinet approved the memorandum of understanding signed between the Kingdom and China in Riyadh last year with regard to strengthening the Silk Route Economic Belt and the joint cooperative initiative for Sea Silk Route for the 21st century in addition to the cooperation in the field of energy production.