Saudi Gazette report

NEOM — Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved the establishment of an authority for research, development and innovation among other key decisions.

In a landmark move, the Saudi Cabinet also approved the rules and arrangements for the treatment of employees and workers in the sectors targeted for transformation and privatization.

In a virtual weekly meeting chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, the Cabinet also gave its nod for the organization of the national center for the development of the non-profit sector.

At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the contents of the phone call with Oman’s Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik and the written message he received from Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The Cabinet touched on the meeting between by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait.

In this regard, the Cabinet highlighted the historical relations between the two countries.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Acting Minister of Media Majid Al-Qasabi stated the Cabinet reviewed the discussions and consultations to expand the horizons of cooperation between Saudi Arabia and a number of its allies in various fields, including the outcomes of the workings of the Joint Saudi-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation.

The two parties agreed on the second phase of the road map to implement the high-level Saudi-Russian strategic cooperation framework. A total of 60 areas of cooperation between the two countries, and 51 opportunities and projects were placed on the road map during the next two years, Al-Qasabi added.

The Cabinet followed the latest developments of the current political issues regionally and globally, and the efforts aimed at preserving security, stability.

The Council of Ministers was briefed on the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic regionally and internationally, the latest statistics and indicators about the virus, and the recorded infection curves, in light of the continuous efforts to preserve the health and safety of citizens and residents.

The ministers reviewed a number of topics on its agenda, including some co-studied by the Shoura Council.

They also approved the organizational structure and guide for the General Secretariat of the Higher Umrah Committee.