NEOM — The Council of Ministers reiterated on Tuesday Saudi Arabia's commitment to peace as a strategic option while referring to the recent speech made by the Kingdom's representative at the UN Security Council session on the situation in the Middle East. The Kingdom believes that the resolution of all issues, including the Palestinian cause, through peaceful means is important for the unity, sovereignty, and integrity of the Arab territories. In a virtual session chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, the Cabinet stressed Saudi Arabia's consistent approach and its firm stances toward the Palestinian cause, as it comes on top of the Kingdom's priorities and concerns. Saudi Arabia stands with the Palestinian people to reach a just and comprehensive solution in accordance with the international legitimacy decisions and the Arab Peace Initiative in 2002, the Cabinet stressed. At the outset of the session, the Cabinet highly valued the efforts made by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his management of development plans in Riyadh, when he was the governor of the region and the completion of many infrastructure projects during that period. The Cabinet reviewed the strategy of developing Riyadh, which was revealed by the Crown Prince, to be one of the ten largest economic cities in the world, as part of the Kingdom's plans to diversify sources of income and grow the economy. In this regard, the Cabinet addressed the unprecedented investment opportunities in the Kingdom in light of its Vision 2030, and the creation of an exceptional investment environment supported by regulatory reforms that are attractive to investors. This environment is characterized by high efficiency and ease of doing business in the Kingdom and making it more competitive, to continue the great leaps it has achieved in relevant global indicators, and to keep pace with the acceleration in many sectors and businesses, including sustainable investments, the Cabinet noted. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the acting minister of media Majid Al-Qasabi, said that the Cabinet was briefed on the latest developments of coronavirus pandemic locally and internationally, the epidemiological curve, and the virus statistics in the Kingdom. The Cabinet was also briefed on the precautionary and preventive measures that have been taken to preserve the health and safety of citizens and expatriates, stressing the importance of continuing adherence to them, in order to preserve the gains made in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. Al-Qasabi also said that the Cabinet praised the efforts of the security and customs officials in thwarting attempts to smuggle narcotic drugs through land and sea borders.
