JEDDAH — The Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, reviewed the general performance indicators of development paths, including a decrease in the unemployment rate among Saudis to 8.0% for the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to 9.9% in the third quarter of the same year.

This was attributed to the plans and initiatives of Saudi Vision 2030 and the reforms, legislation, and launch of promising sectors that contributed to the highest labor force participation rate, despite economic conditions in most countries worldwide.

At the outset of the session, the Cabinet was briefed on two messages received by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince from the President of the United Arab Emirates and the President of the Republic of Djibouti.

The Cabinet was also briefed about the meeting between the Crown Prince and the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, which covered the two countries’ close and historical relations, opportunities for cooperation, and ways to enhance and develop them in various fields.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, the Minister of Media Salman Bin Yousef Al-Dosari said that the Cabinet discussed the state’s latest developments in foreign policy, specifically in terms of strengthening cooperation with fraternal and friendly countries and working to enhance relations to serve common interests.

The Cabinet also highlighted the security agreements signed between Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom within the framework of the two friendly countries’ partnership and historical relations.

The Cabinet discussed current developments at regional and international levels and the challenges affecting global security and peace. It reaffirmed the utmost importance that the Kingdom places on consolidating stability to pave the way for achieving development and prosperity in the Middle East and the world.

The Cabinet approved a cooperation agreement between the government of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Hellenic (Greece) Republic in the field of combating crime.

It authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss with the Sri Lankan side a draft memorandum of understanding on political consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka.

It also authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss with the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) a draft of headquarters agreement between the government of Saudi Arabia and UN-Habitat.

The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the cultural field between the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO).

It approved a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Finance of Saudi Arabia and His Majesty’s Treasury of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (HM Treasury) to enhance cooperation in developing the financial services and the public finance sector.

The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding between the government of Saudi Arabia and the government of South Africa in the field of social development.

It approved a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Commerce of China in enhancing direct investment.

It also approved a memorandum of understanding between the General Directorate of Financial Investigations of the Presidency of State Security of Saudi Arabia and Oman Credit and Financial Information Centre on exchanging data on money laundering and terrorist financing crimes.

The Cabinet authorized the President of Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University — or his representative — to negotiate with the German company Merck on a draft cooperation agreement between Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University of Saudi Arabia and the German Merck Company in the field of academic cooperation.

It appointed Eng. Abdurrahman Bin Saleh Al-Faqih, a representative of the private sector, who are not investors in the ports sector, as member of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Ports Authority.

The Cabinet approved the organizational structure and manual of the Ministry of Tourism. It also approved the two final accounts of the General Authority for Competition, and the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) for a previous fiscal year.

The Cabinet also reviewed a number of general topics on its agenda, including the annual reports of the Saudi Export Development Authority; the National Industrial Development Center; Prince Sultan Defense Studies & Research Center, and King Salman Park Foundation. — SPA