Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Saudi Council of Ministers called on the international community to activate serious mechanisms to hold Israeli officials accountable for the ongoing violations of international laws, norms and resolutions. The weekly session of the Cabinet was chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said the Cabinet confirmed its absolute rejection of extremist and incendiary Israeli statements and the continuous provocations of the feelings of Muslims around the world. The Council urged the international community to put an end to the humanitarian catastrophe that the Palestinian people are experiencing.

The Cabinet also emphasized that the Kingdom will continue to work with international partners until the restoration of security and stability to Sudan. The session discussed the results of the meetings held in Switzerland designated to construct tangible and immediate steps to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people and achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities.

At the outset of the session, the Cabinet was briefed on the message that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received from President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, and meeting of the Crown Prince with Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas and the discussions held concerning the Kingdom’s continued efforts to communicate with international and regional parties to halt the escalation in the Gaza Strip.

Al-Dossary said the Cabinet reviewed the major domestic economic developments and the latest relevant statistics and indicators, including a 10.5 percent increase in non-oil exports in the second quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2023. The Cabinet congratulated the winners of the 44th session of the King Abdulaziz International Competition for Memorization, Recitation and Interpretation of the Holy Qur’an, highlighting the Kingdom’s keenness since its establishment to serve the Holy Qur’an, considering this as the noblest goals.

The Cabinet also praised the success of the first edition of the Esports World Cup, which embodies the efforts to enhance the Kingdom’s position as a global destination for major sporting events and activities.

The Cabinet took a number of decisions, and these included approval of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding political consultations between the foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia and Colombia and approval of a MoU for cooperation in modern transportation between the Saudi Ministry of Transport and Logistics and Estonia’s Ministry of Climate. The Council authorized the minister of culture or his deputy to negotiate and sign with the Turkmenistan side a draft MoU for cultural cooperation.

The Cabinet approved two MoUs for cooperation in promoting Saudi Arabia’s direct investment with Mauritius and Sri Lanka, and another MoU for exchanging financial investigations related to combating money laundering and terrorism financing between the Saudi General Directorate of Financial Investigation at the Presidency of State Security and the Iraqi Office of Money Laundering and Countering Terrorism Funding. It endorsed a MoU for cooperation in the fields of accounting, auditing, and professional work between the Saudi General Court of Audit and the Tunisian Court of Accounts.

The Council authorized the minister of environment, water, and agriculture and chairman of board of directors of the General Food Security Authority (GFSA) or his deputy to negotiate and sign with the Qatari side a draft MoU in the field of food security.