JEDDAH — The Cabinet, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Tuesday at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, affirmed the government's keenness to develop and diversify the Kingdom's economy, and improve the investment environment.

In this regard, the Cabinet commended the outcome of the Riyadh-hosted Saudi Special Economic Zones Investment Forum, where agreements were signed and licenses were granted to businesses wishing to work in these zones, which reflects the qualitative shift in the Saudi economy and its competitive edge, and highlights the promising new opportunities that attract direct investment into the economy.

The Cabinet was briefed on the content of the two messages sent to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and to Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman by the president of Comoros.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Minister of Media Salman Bin Yousef Al-Dosari said that the Cabinet followed up on Saudi Arabia's efforts to foster relations in different fields with different countries.

The Cabinet praised the positive results of the fifth session of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council, held in Jeddah, which witnessed the signing of memorandums of understanding in several fields, reflecting the determination of the two countries to increase the level of cooperation in a way that achieves common interests, enhances the security and stability of the region and advances development.

The Cabinet tackled the Kingdom's participation in the 76th session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, which highlighted its efforts to reduce threats to global public health, help with pandemic preparedness and response, and come up with programs that promote the sustainability of human health.

It also commended the Kingdom's accelerated pace toward addressing climate change and supporting green and sustainable solutions through a package of initiatives that should contribute to reducing carbon emissions, including the construction of the world's largest green hydrogen production plant in NEOM, aiming to meet the growing global demand for energy, and boost its leading role in developing new and alternative energy sources.

The minister also noted that the Cabinet followed up on developments in the regional and international arenas, mainly the situation in Sudan following the Jeddah talks, which resulted in the parties agreeing to a short-term ceasefire and humanitarian arrangements, which underlines the Kingdom's efforts to support political solutions in that country and help bridge the gap between the two parties to the conflict.

The Cabinet authorized the minister of energy to hold talks with the Polish side regarding a draft memorandum of understanding between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Polish government for cooperation in the energy field.

It authorized the minister of energy to hold talks with the Portuguese side regarding a draft memorandum of understanding between the government of Saudi Arabia and the Portuguese government for cooperation in the energy field.

It authorized the minister of media to hold talks with the Turkish side regarding a draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the media sector between the Ministry of Media of Saudi Arabia and the Directorate of Communications at the Presidency of Turkiye.

The Cabinet authorized the minister of media, and chairman of the board of directors of the General Commission for Audiovisual Media to discuss with counterparts in Nigeria, Ghana and Mauritania, regarding draft memorandums of understanding for cooperation in the field of audiovisual media between the General Commission for Audiovisual Media of Saudi Arabia and its counterparts in those countries.

It authorized the minister of media, and chairman of the board of directors of the General Commission for Audiovisual Media to discuss with the Egyptian side, the Chadian side, the Bahraini side, and the Qatari side, regarding draft memorandums of understanding between the General Commission for Audiovisual Media of Saudi Arabia, and the Supreme Council for Media Regulation of Egypt, the National Authority for Audiovisual Media of Chad, the Ministry of Information Affairs of Bahrain, and the Qatar Media Corporation of Qatar.

The Cabinet authorized the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Research, Development and Innovation Development Authority to discuss with the British side a draft memorandum of understanding between the government of Saudi Arabia and the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for cooperation in the field of research, development and innovation.

It authorized the Minister of Transport and Logistic Services, and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Transport General Authority to discuss with the Egyptian side a draft agreement between the General Transport Authority of Saudi Arabia and the Suez Canal Authority of Egypt with regard to cooperation in the field of developing the transit of cruise and cargo ships through the Suez Canal.

The Cabinet approved the Early Childhood Development Policy and, in principle, and approving the Comprehensive Unified Framework for Assessing the Financial Capacity and Wealth of Individuals and Families.

It approved the academic calendar for the year 1445 AH (2023/2024 AD), in addition to the rules governing the academic calendar.

It approved to renew the membership of Prof. Abdulaziz Bin Mohammed Al-Saeed, Prof. Ahmed Bin Hamad Al-Farhan, and Dr. Thabet Bin Safar Al-Shahrani as the Board of Directors of the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification. — SPA