Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The session of the Council of Ministers, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday, underscored Saudi Arabia's relentless efforts to put an end to Israel's aggression on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and other occupied territories.

In this context, the Cabinet was briefed on the phone calls made by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt. During the phone calls, the Crown Prince had emphasized the Kingdom's keenness on unifying Arab and Islamic efforts to support the Palestinian people, and stressed the need to exert all efforts to halt the Israeli escalation and violations.

The Crown Prince also briefed the Cabinet on the message sent to the prime minister of Tonga as well as on his meeting with the president of the European Council.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said that the Cabinet reviewed the outcomes of the several international meetings in which the Kingdom attended as part of its commitment to increasing cooperation and coordination with friendly nations, and advancing multilateral endeavors to attain progress and prosperity.

The Council commended the recent meeting of the Executive Committee of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council, which demonstrated the two countries' commitment to strengthening relations and pursuing shared goals in various sectors, to the benefit of the people of the two countries.

The Cabinet also reviewed regional and international developments, and reaffirmed the Kingdom's unwavering support for initiatives aimed at promoting security, stability, and sustainable development regionally and globally.

Al-Dossary emphasized that the 50th anniversary of the Saudi Fund for Development marks a significant milestone that highlights SFD's expanding global role, numerous accomplishments, and invaluable contributions to fostering development and prosperity in less developed and developing countries.

On the domestic front, the Cabinet deems the two royal orders to reconstitute the Council of Senior Scholars and the Shoura Council as further evidence of King Salman's unwavering support for the Council of Senior Scholars and his commitment to selecting Shoura Council members from among highly qualified personalities with diverse expertise who can continue to serve religion and the nation.

The Cabinet approved the Measurement and Calibration Law. It endorsed joining of the Ministry of Justice, represented by the Judicial Training Center, in the Euro-Arab Judicial Training Network.

The Council approved an agreement of cooperation between the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, and the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands in the field of environment, water, and agriculture.

It approved memoranda of understanding (MOUs) in matters of labor and employment between the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development and the Ministry of Employment and Labor of Korea, and between the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and the Ministry of Vocational Training and Employment of Tunisia in the field of labor.

Another MoU for cooperation in the field of healthcare between the Saudi and Tunisian ministries of health was approved. The Cabinet approved a MoU for technical cooperation in civil aviation between the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation and the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission and another MoU for cooperation in legal affairs between the Saudi Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers and the Bahraini Ministry of Legal Affairs.

The Council authorized the minister of finance and chairman of the board of directors of the General Authority for Awqaf or his deputy to discuss and sign with the Omani Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs a draft MoU in the field of endowments.

It authorized the minister of finance and chairman of the board of directors of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority or his deputy to sign a draft agreement with Nigeria for cooperation and mutual assistance in matters of customs. The Cabinet approved a MoU between the Saudi Capital Market Authority and the Central Bank of Bahrain.

It authorized the chairman of the education and training evaluation commission or his deputy to discuss and sign a draft MoU with the Arab Administrative Development Organization, affiliated with the Arab League, concerning cooperation in measurement, evaluation, and accreditation.