NEOM - The Council of Ministers held its session today, Tuesday, 1 Ramadan 1442 AH, corresponding to April 13, 2021 AD - headed by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prime Minister, may God protect him.

At the beginning of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques directed the Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, to praise and thank all Muslims for reaching the blessed month of Ramadan, the month of the Qur’an, mercy and forgiveness, asking God to grant them success in fasting, resurrection and all other acts of obedience, and to accept from those who intend the two holy mosques their rituals And their acts of worship, and he directed - may God support him - state agencies to intensify, concert and integrate efforts to provide the best services to the guests of the Most Merciful, ensure their comfort, and take care of their safety and security.

He expressed - may God protect him - his thanks and appreciation to his brothers, the Majesties, Excellencies and Highnesses, the leaders of brotherly countries, and to citizens and residents in the Kingdom, for their good wishes and sincere prayers, on the occasion of the advent of the month of Ramadan, calling on God - the Almighty - to accept from everyone good deeds, and to reveal the Corona pandemic On the behalf of Muslim countries and countries of the world, and to repeat this occasion on the Islamic Ummah with goodness and blessing and more security and stability.

In his statement to the Saudi Press Agency, His Excellency the Acting Minister of Information, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, stated that the Council of Ministers discussed, as a result, the rapid development and economic renaissance the Kingdom is witnessing at all levels. According to the plans and programs of (Vision 2030), and the initiatives that fall under it in the renewable energy sector, we congratulate in this context what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince - may God protect him - announced about new projects that represent essential parts of the Kingdom's pioneering role towards common international issues, and embody the efforts Aiming at localization, enhancing local content, and enabling local manufacturing of components for the production of solar and wind energy, so that the Kingdom, within the next ten years, will - God willing - become a global center for traditional and renewable energy and its technologies.

The Council reviewed the developments of the Corona pandemic at the local and international levels, the latest statistics and indicators, and what the vaccination campaign recorded in terms of exceeding the vaccine doses for more than six million doses through more than (587) centers in various regions of the Kingdom, as well as monitoring, follow-up, and continuous evaluation of preventive measures.

The Cabinet dealt with a number of issues on the latest developments and developments on the Arab, regional and international arenas, and the efforts made to promote peace, stability and development in the region and the world. His Excellency indicated that the Council was briefed on the topics on its agenda, including topics that the Shura Council participated in studying, as well as 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 Like it.

The Council of Ministers concluded the following:

First:

Approval of an agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the International Fund for Agricultural Development regarding the establishment of an office for relations with the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.

Second:

Approval of an agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of Latvia to avoid double taxation in the matter of taxes on income and capital and to prevent tax evasion and the accompanying protocol.

Third:

Amending Article (5) of the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law - issued by Royal Decree No. (M / 19) dated 4/23/1429 AH, as stated in the decision.

Fourthly:

Without prejudice to the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing exercising its competencies stipulated in the penalties list for municipal violations, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing and the Minister of Health agree to determine the violations related to the jurisdiction of the regularly established Ministry of Health set by the Ministry of Health, and to apply the penalties stipulated in the regulation.

Fifthly:

Approval of the final account of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization.

Sixthly:

Amending the Executive Regulations for the White Land Fee System issued by Cabinet Resolution No. (379) dated 9/8/1437 AH, as stated in the decision.

Seventh:

Amending the regulations for accepting scholarship students for non-Saudis in higher education institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and sponsoring them - issued by Cabinet Resolution No. (94) dated 3/29/1431 AH - as indicated in the decision.