NEOM — Saudi Arabia will take all necessary and deterrent measures to protect its national assets in a way that preserves energy security and the stability of its supplies, oil exports, and global trade, the Council of Ministers pointed out on Tuesday. The Cabinet discussed and reviewed a host of incidents and developments with regard to the continued attacks launched by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, targeting civilians and civil objects, highlighting the cowardly attack on the oil products distribution station in Jazan. The Cabinet considered such attacks being committed against vital installations are not targeting only the Kingdom and its economic facilities but also the backbone of the world economy, the security of its oil exports and supplies in addition to the impact on maritime navigation. In a virtual meeting chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, who is also the prime minister, the Cabinet vowed to put an end to these attacks, which are being carried out by militias at the behest of Iran as Tehran seeks to achieve its subversive agenda to spread chaos and undermine regional and international security. The Cabinet also took note of the rejection of the terrorist Houthi militia of various political efforts to end the Yemeni crisis, especially the Kingdom's peace initiative. At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the contents of his virtual meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhmi, in which the two sides agreed to expand boost the bilateral cooperation and strengthen ties in all fields. The Cabinet lauded the announcement made by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman with regard to "Green Saudi" and "Green Middle East" initiatives, which reflect the Kingdom's commitment toward protecting the land and nature. These initiatives also represent a clear and vibrant road map in order to achieve international objectives and enhance the Kingdom's ongoing environmental efforts in line with the Vision 2030, the ministers pointed out. In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Acting Minister of Media Majid Al-Qasabi pointed out that the Cabinet expressed appreciation of the GCC and the Middle East countries for their readiness to work with the Kingdom to achieve the objectives of the Middle East Green Initiative which is set to benefit the region and the world at large, as it includes ambitious projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions, enhancing the public health and quality of life, improving oil production efficiency, increasing renewable energy rates, and achieving the sustainable development. The Cabinet renewed the Kingdom's support for the efforts aimed at ensuring the flow of navigation, maritime trade, and global supply chains in the Suez Canal, and congratulated Egypt for the successful refloating of the stranded ship, and the return of international maritime traffic to its normal course. On the local arena, the Cabinet considered the royal order to hold exams for the second semester of all stages of education ahead of their schedule and before the start of the holiday of the blessed Eid Al-Fitr, as an extension of the leadership's wise approach. It also reflects the constant attention and care given to education that had a great impact during the Coronavirus pandemic in continuing the education remotely. The Cabinet reviewed the developments of the coronavirus pandemic, locally and internationally, in the health and preventive aspects, and the efforts made in the Kingdom to protect the public health, the return to normal life, and the great expansion of the vaccination campaign in all regions, reaffirming the importance of adhering to the precautionary and preventive measures, and approved protocols. The Cabinet appreciated the proactive security efforts in tracking down criminal networks' activities that smuggle narcotics into the Kingdom, and the contribution of the General Directorate of Narcotics Control and the General Authority of Customs in protecting community members from this scourge, after thwarting an attempt to smuggle more than 10 million amphetamine tablets.
