JEDDAH — The Cabinet, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman at Al-Salam Palace on Tuesday afternoon, praised the outcomes of the visits of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, deputy prime minister and minister of defense, to the Hellenic Republic (Greece) and the French Republic recently.

The Cabinet then dealt with the results of the Crown Prince’s visits and the discussions with the leaders of these two countries, which confirmed the strength of relations, the common desire to strengthen them in various fields.

The nations also pledged to boost the work on continuing coordination and consultation on issues of common interest in a manner that serves the interests of the peoples of the three countries and achieves security and stability in the region.

There was signing of agreements and memoranda of understanding between the Kingdom and Greece, and the emphasis on deepening and developing the strategic partnership with the French Republic.

At the outset of the session, the King briefed the Cabinet on the contents of the two messages he received from the Republic of Tunisia president and the Central African Republic president.

The Cabinet reiterated the Kingdom's affirmation during (Group of 77 + China) meeting at the level of ambassadors of its commitment to international work and cooperation to combat climate change and contribute effectively to achieving international goals in this field through its qualitative initiatives, most notably (Green Saudi Arabia), (Green Middle East) and (Circular Carbon Economy).

This was pointed out by Minister of State, Cabinet's Member for Shoura Council Affairs and Acting Minister of Media, Dr. Essam Bin Saad Bin Saeed in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency after the session.

The Cabinet affirmed the government’s great interest in raising the level of services being provided for citizens and improving their quality, maximizing efficient use of resources and assets in accordance with the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, including the allocation of SR105 billion for water projects amounted to 1,355, as first package within Five-year capital portfolio for the environment, water and agriculture system.

The Cabinet commended the prominent role of the economic and structural reforms implemented within the framework of the vision that is contributing to achieving sustainable and comprehensive economic growth in light of the increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) by (11.8%) during the second quarter of 2022 compared to the same period of the previous year 2021.

This is in addition to estimates of the International Monetary Fund that the Kingdom’s economy registered the highest growth rate in the world, reaching (6.7%) during the current year (2022).

The Cabinet was briefed on the topics on its agenda, including topics that the Shoura Council participated in its study.

The Cabinet also approved a cooperation agreement in the field of using and replacing driving licenses between the government of Saudi Arabia and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania.

It approved a memorandum of understanding in the field of political consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya.

The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding in the cultural field between the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

It authorized the Minister of Tourism to discuss with the Djiboutian side a draft memorandum of cooperation in the field of tourism between the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Commerce and Tourism of the Republic of Djibouti.

It approved a memorandum of understanding between the government of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Sultanate of Oman in the field of food and water security.

The Cabinet okayed the accession of Saudi Arabia to the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing.

It approved two agreements in the fields of employing workforce and domestic workers between the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Labor of Thailand.

The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Transport and Logistic Services, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to discuss with the French side the technical arrangements draft in the field of civil aviation between GACA and the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of France.

It also approved the organizational arrangements of Mahd Sports Academy; establishment of the Saudi Investment Promotion Authority and establishment of the Public Authority for Roads. — SPA