1. ⅕Saudi Arabia renewed its call on the countries of the world to join the international coalition to implement the two-state solution launched by the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee headed by Saudi Arabia and in cooperation with the European Union and Norway, stressing its support for “the brothers in Palestine and Lebanon, to overcome the catastrophic humanitarian consequences resulting from the Israeli aggression.”

The Saudi position came during a cabinet session chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister, in Riyadh on Tuesday. The council praised the summit’s outcomes, which will contribute to strengthening joint action and continuing cooperation with the international community to stop the war on the Gaza Strip, and achieve security and stability in the region.

The Council also welcomed the signing of the “Tripartite Mechanism Document to Support Palestine” between the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States, and the African Union Commission, following its discussion of the contents of the extraordinary Arab and Islamic summit held in Riyadh on Monday, and the overall meetings of the Saudi Crown Prince with leaders of a number of sister countries.

At the beginning of the session, the Saudi Crown Prince informed the Council of Ministers of the content of the two messages received by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, from Omar Sissoco Embalo, President of Guinea-Bissau, and Ousmane Azali, President of the Union of the Comoros.

The Crown Prince also briefed the Council on the content of his talks with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and what the phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump included, which emphasized Saudi Arabia’s aspiration to strengthen the historical and strategic relations between the two countries.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman chairs the Saudi Cabinet session in Riyadh (SPA)

The Council of Ministers reviewed Saudi Arabia's contributions and initiatives in support of international multilateral action, to be more effective and rapid in addressing the challenges of the present and the future and responding to urgent issues at the global level; in a way that consolidates development and prosperity, and strengthens common cultural and social ties.

The Council referred to what Saudi Arabia stressed during its participation in international meetings held in recent days, regarding the importance it attaches to enhancing cooperation with all countries of the world, consolidating aspects of joint coordination in various fields, and continuing its humanitarian and development role in helping the most needy countries and peoples affected by natural disasters and humanitarian crises.

Salman Al-Dosari, Saudi Minister of Media, explained that the Council of Ministers affirmed Saudi Arabia’s interest in supporting cultural communication between different cultures around the world, expressing in this context his thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of the “Arab Week at UNESCO” initiative launched by the Kingdom at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in the French capital, Paris.

On the local front, the Council members appreciated the Crown Prince’s reception of the Saudi medical team that successfully performed the world’s first complete heart transplant using a robot, and his continuous support for national competencies and enabling them to achieve leadership in all fields, based on the fact that the human being is the focus and foundation of development.

The Council of Ministers praised the (tenth) edition of the “Biban 24” Forum, which was held in Riyadh, for signing agreements and launchings worth more than 35.4 billion riyals ($9.44 billion) to support entrepreneurship in a number of sectors, and achieving national targets in raising the contribution of small and medium enterprises to the gross domestic product.

The Council praised the results of the summit, which will contribute to enhancing joint action (SPA)

The Council reviewed the topics on its agenda, including topics that the Shura Council participated in studying. It also reviewed the conclusions reached by the Political and Security Affairs Council, the Economic Affairs and Development Council, the General Committee of the Council of Ministers, and the Experts Authority of the Council of Ministers in this regard.

The Council issued a number of decisions, including approval of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Economy and Planning in Saudi Arabia and the Federal Ministry of Labor and Economy in Austria for cooperation in the economic field, an air transport services agreement between the Government of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Mozambique in the field of air transport services, and a memorandum of understanding between the Government of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Development Bank for cooperation in implementing the initiatives of the Petroleum Demand Sustainability Program.

The Council authorized the Minister of Education to set the rules and regulations regarding the Saudi School Sports Federation, while the Council decided that the implementation of the Official Communications Regulations and the preservation of documents and their information would be advisory for a period of one year from the date of its entry into force. It approved the final accounts of the Environment Fund and the King Fahd National Library for two previous fiscal years, and approved promotions to the (fifteenth) and (fourteenth) ranks.

The Council of Ministers also reviewed a number of general topics on its agenda, including annual reports from the Ministries of Commerce and Transport and Logistics Services, the Eastern Province Development Authority, the Control and Anti-Corruption Authority, the General Authority for Competition, the Capital Market Authority, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, the National Program for the Development of the Information Technology Sector, and the Strategic Office for the Development of Al-Baha Region. The Council took the necessary measures regarding these topics.