The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prime Minister, chaired the Cabinet's virtual session today. At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expressed thanks and appreciation to leaders and heads of Arab, Islamic and friendly countries who expressed their wishes of good health to him, and to the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their sincere feelings and prayers. The members of the Cabinet also prayed to Allah Almighty to grant the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques constant good health. Then, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques praised Allah for His blessings on this holy country and granting it a great honor and high status for serving the Grand Holy Mosque and the Prophet's Holy Mosque and for enabling big numbers of Umrah performers and worshippers to visit the Two Holy Mosques during the holy month of Ramadan and the care and attention for their safety, comfort and security. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the content of the talks that took place with a number of heads of state in the recent period including the letter he sent to Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait, and the letter he received from President Evariste Ndayishimiye of the Republic of Burundi. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Acting Minister of Media Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi said that the Cabinet also voiced the deepest feelings of sorrow and grief over the death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan after a life full of blessed deeds and great achievements and a journey full of true giving for the benefit, progress, prosperity of the United Arab Emirates and the welfare of its people. The Cabinet also congratulated Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for being elected President of the UAE by the Supreme Council of the federation, expressing hope for further action to consolidate the brotherly relations between the two countries and peoples and enhance ties among countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council for Arab States. Then, the Cabinet referred to the pivotal role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through its partnership action at the international level in a bid to boost international peace and security, in a way that benefits the region and its peoples to achieve their goodness, growth and stability. The Cabinet in this regard reiterated the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's statement during the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, which was held in Marrakesh, the Kingdom of Morocco. Saudi Arabia affirmed that it continues to maintain its firm stance towards supporting international efforts against this terrorist organization, and its keenness on the stability of Iraq and the extension of its influence and sovereignty over its entire territory. The Kingdom also stressed keenness to support efforts to stabilize the security and economic situation in the liberated areas in Syria, welcoming the establishment of the Africa Focus Group to counter the growing threat of the spread of ISIS on the African continent. The Cabinet also addressed the contents of Saudi Arabia's participation in the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank and Second Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting of the G20, where the Kingdom emphasized the importance of joint work to tackle global economic setbacks stemming from the recent geopolitical tensions and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of prudent climate policies to ensure stable energy market conditions and just transition that are necessary for global economic stability. The Cabinet stated that Saudi Arabia's humanitarian initiative of releasing (163) Houthi detainees who had participated in hostilities against the Kingdom came to support all the endeavors and efforts to bring peace and end the conflict in Yemen, in addition to supporting UN efforts to stabilize the current truce, and create an atmosphere for dialogue between Yemeni parties. Additionally, this humanitarian initiative aims to aid in ending the Prisoner of War and Detainee case in accordance with Islamic and humanitarian principles and inherent Arab values. The Cabinet reviewed the activities that Saudi Arabia witnessed in recent days, including the launch of the Saudi Census 2022, the International Conference and Exhibition for Education (ICEE) 2022, and the outcomes of the Future Aviation Forum, during which more than 50 agreements worth SAR 10 billion were signed, on strengthening cooperation in the fields of air service, sustainability, human capital development, and airport operation. The Cabinet also expressed satisfaction with the growth of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's GDP by 9.6% in the first quarter of 2022, compared to the same period in 2021, recording the highest growth rate in the past ten years, driven by the increase in oil and non-oil activities. The Cabinet was briefed on a number of issues on its agenda and issued the following decisions: First: The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Sports - or his representative - to discuss and sign with the Portuguese side a draft memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Sports of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Portugal for cooperation in the field of sports. Second: The Cabinet approved a general agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of South Sudan. Third: The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding in the field of standardization between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Sultanate of Oman. Fourth: The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Communications and Information Technology - or his representative - to discuss and sign with the South African side a draft memorandum of understanding between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of South Africa for cooperation in the field of communications and information technology. Fifth: The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Export Development Authority, - or his representative - to discuss and sign with the International Trade Center of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) regarding a draft memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Export Development Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and International Trade Center of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for cooperation in the development of non-oil exports. Sixth: The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding in the field of preventing and combating corruption between the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Administrative Control Authority in the Arab Republic of Egypt. Seventh: The Cabinet approved the organization of the Premium Residency Center. Eighth: The Cabinet appointed Dr. Fahd bin Abdullah Tounsi as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Performance Measurement. Ninth: The Cabinet approved that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Platform for Visa, currently in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is the unified national platform for visas. The Cabinet also approved that the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development - through its platforms - is responsible for all work visa applications submitted by natural or legal persons and sending them to the unified national platform for visas at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Tenth: The Cabinet approved a number of promotions at 15th and 14th ranks. The Cabinet also reviewed a number of general topics on its agenda and took the necessary measures regarding these topics.
