JEDDAH — The Council of Ministers on Monday reiterated Saudi Arabia's support for the demands of the legitimate government of Yemen. The weekly session of the Cabinet, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman at Al-Salam Palace here, welcomed the UN efforts to hold the conference on Yemen which started in Geneva on Monday. The Kingdom reiterated that the resolution of Yemen crisis should be in line with the Riyadh Declaration, UN Security Council Resolution 2216, the Gulf initiative, and the outcome of the Yemeni Comprehensive National Dialogue, said Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Turaifi. At the outset of the Cabinet session, the King congratulated the people of Saudi Arabia and Arab and Islamic countries on the occasion of the blessed month of Ramadan, praying to Allah Almighty to help them in fasting and prayers and accept their good deeds in this holy month. While briefing the Cabinet on his meeting with the Executive Director of World Food Program Ertharin Cousin, King Salman underscored the Kingdom's keenness to support various efforts and provide assistance for the needy people around the world. The Cabinet expressed satisfaction over the strength of the Saudi economy as shown in two annual reports of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency that reviewed major domestic and global economic developments. The Cabinet also noted that the national economy has achieved good results in the last year during which the real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 5.3 percent, and the economy is expected to continue witnessing overall development during the current year and coming years. “The Kingdom's economic policies have focused on vital areas such as the development of national human resources, modernization and maintenance of infrastructure projects, quest to diversify the production base, and enhancing the financial reserves of the state to cope with unforeseen developments in the global oil prices,” the Cabinet pointed out. The Cabinet approved the authorization of the President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology or his deputy for discussion and signing with the Russian side a draft memorandum of joint intent between King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and the Russian Space Agency for cooperation in the field of exploration of outer space and its use for peaceful purposes. Al-Turaifi said the Council decided to approve an agreement with the government of the Kyrgyzstan for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, signed in Riyadh on Dec. 2 last year. After reviewing the report submitted by the Ministry of Health regarding the outcome of the application of a Cabinet decision to fix and collect fees from foreign workers for health services provided by the ministry, including emergency and psychiatric cases, the Cabinet approved an amendment in the decision so as to present the report in this regard to the Cabinet every third year.
