NEOM - The Council of Ministers held its meeting today, Tuesday 2 Rabi` al-Akhir 1442 AH corresponding to November 17, 2020 AD - via video call - headed by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prime Minister.

At the start of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expressed his sincere condolences and sincere condolences to his brother His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain, and to the Bahraini people, on the death of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Council on the contents of the phone call with President Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Council of Ministers expressed sincere congratulations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on the sixth anniversary of his accession to power.

The Council assessed what was included in the annual speech of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques upon opening the works of the first year of the eighth session of the Shura Council.

The Council of Ministers also noted the speech of His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and what it contained in a review of the unprecedented achievements of the Kingdom in its contemporary history, in a short and rapid period in various levels.

The Acting Minister of Information, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, stated that the Council expressed the Kingdom's aspiration to hold the Riyadh Summit of the G20 on Saturday and Sunday, to review and discuss policies and initiatives that would address the consequences of the pandemic to restore hope and reassurance to peoples with the aim of protecting lives and restoring global growth.

The Council of Ministers addressed what was stated in the statement issued by the extraordinary meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors of the G20 countries headed by the Kingdom, regarding agreement on a common framework aimed at facilitating timely and orderly debt handling for countries authorized to benefit from the initiative to suspend debt service payments, with The participation of lenders on a large scale, including the private sector, in light of the continuing effects of the Corona pandemic.

The Council affirmed that the regulatory, structural and financial reforms in the electricity sector that were approved by the Royal Decree It will contribute to achieving the sustainability of raising the efficiency of the electricity sector in the Kingdom, and will positively affect its performance.

The Cabinet was briefed on the latest developments and developments related to the Coronavirus pandemic, at the local and international levels.

And Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi stated that the Council reiterated the Kingdom's condemnation and condemnation of the Kingdom's continued denunciation of the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia, in violating international laws and customary rules, by launching booby-trapped drones towards civilians in the Kingdom, and attempting to carry out terrorist and sabotage action near the floating unloading platform of a distribution station Petroleum products in Jizan, via two remote-controlled booby-trapped boats, which are targeting the security of petroleum exports, the stability of energy supplies to the world, the freedom of global trade, the global economy as a whole, and the impact on maritime navigation.

The Council of Ministers expressed its condemnation of terrorist acts in all their forms and manifestations, including the attack in the Jeddah governorate, and the shooting at the Kingdom's embassy in the Netherlands.

The council reviewed a number of issues and developments on the regional and international arenas.

The Council of Ministers reviewed the topics on its agenda, including topics that the Shura Council participated in its study, and it also reviewed the findings of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, the Council of Political and Security Affairs, the General Committee of the Council of Ministers, and the Council of Experts in the Council of Ministers in this regard. The council concluded:

First :

Approval of a headquarters agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences.

Second :

Approval of a memorandum of understanding between the Food and Drug General Authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Health in the Republic of Iraq for cooperation in the field of pharmaceuticals, devices, supplies, medical products and clinical studies.

Third :

Assigning the presidency of the Saudi side in the two joint committees (South Africa and Tunisia) to the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources.

Fourthly :

Approval of the social security system.

Fifthly:

Approval of the implementation of the unified guiding system regarding volunteer work to empower persons with disabilities in the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.

The Council of Ministers also reviewed a number of general topics on its agenda, including annual reports of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the King Fahd National Library, the General Grain Corporation, the national program to support project management, operation and maintenance in public agencies, and the General Organization for Technical and Vocational Training. The Financial Market Authority, and the National Center for Documents and Archives, and the Board has taken the necessary measures regarding these issues.