Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques presiding over the Cabinet session in Jeddah

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Al-Jazirah - SPA:

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - may God protect him - chaired the session held by the Council of Ministers yesterday in Jeddah.

At the beginning of the session, the Council of Ministers was briefed on the content of the phone call received by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister - may God protect him - from His Excellency President Joseph Aoun, President of the Lebanese Republic, and the appreciation expressed during it for the positions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in supporting Lebanon and its efforts to achieve stability and peace in the region.

The Council followed up on the latest events in the regional arena and their repercussions on international peace and security. In this context, it condemned in the strongest terms the false claims and baseless, fabricated accusations made by the terrorist Houthi militia, and its engagement in the regional conflict to support its sinister agendas and objectives, which has contributed to deepening the suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people and threatening regional security and stability. The Council reaffirmed the continued support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the brotherly Yemeni people and their legitimate government, and its commitment to taking resolute measures to protect its security and vessels in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Council renewed the solidarity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its full support for the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan regarding the measures they are taking in response to the egregious Iranian attacks that violate international law and the principles of good neighborliness, emphasizing the importance of an immediate halt to all forms of military escalation to preserve the stability of the region's countries and peoples.

His Excellency the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development and Acting Minister of Information, Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi, stated in his statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session that the Council of Ministers subsequently addressed the outcomes of the Kingdom's active participation in international meetings and forums. In this context, he praised the joint national efforts and contributions to the successful participation in the 2026 High-Level Political Forum held at the United Nations, and what the "Third Voluntary National Review" report reflected of continuous progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the areas of supporting water security, expanding renewable energy, improving access to healthcare services, developing digital government, prosperity in industrial development, and the inclusivity of economic growth.

The Council touched upon the contents of the high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the New Urban Agenda, and what it included in highlighting the Kingdom's successes and achievements in building more sustainable cities and improving the quality of life by raising the percentage of Saudi families owning homes, increasing the per capita share of public spaces and areas, developing the mobility system, and expanding community participation in the development process.

The Council of Ministers reviewed a set of reports, statistics, and indicators related to the national economy and the contribution of the reforms and policies adopted by the Kingdom in achieving a positive impact on growth rates, including the stability of the annual inflation rate at (1.8%) in the past period, continuing to record low levels compared to many advanced and emerging economies.

His Excellency pointed out that the Council noted the Kingdom's progress to rank (13th) globally among the largest economies attracting foreign direct investment in 2025, according to the UNCTAD report. He emphasized that this achievement reflects the advanced position established by the Kingdom as a globally attractive investment destination, the effectiveness of the economic reforms achieved, and the growing investor confidence in the investment environment, supported by a (53%) growth in net foreign direct investment inflows to reach ($32.6) billion, and the rise in the competitiveness of strategic sectors, foremost among which are energy, infrastructure, technology, advanced industries, and logistics services.

The Council of Ministers reviewed the topics on its agenda, including subjects studied by the Shura Council, and also reviewed the conclusions of the Council of Political and Security Affairs, the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, the General Committee of the Council of Ministers, and the Experts Commission at the Council of Ministers regarding these subjects, and concluded with the following:

First: Authorizing His Royal Highness the Minister of Interior - or his representative - to discuss with the Maldivian side regarding the draft memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Maldives Police Service in the Republic of Maldives in the field of scientific, training, and research activities, and to sign it.

Second: Authorizing His Royal Highness the Minister of Foreign Affairs - or his representative - to discuss with the Australian side regarding the draft memorandum of understanding on political consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Commonwealth of Australia, and to sign it.

Third: Authorizing His Royal Highness the Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Museums Commission - or his representative - to discuss with the Jordanian side regarding the draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of museums between the Commission and the Department of Antiquities in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and to sign it.

Fourth: Authorizing His Excellency the Minister of Commerce and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization - or his representative - to discuss with the Chinese side regarding the draft memorandum of understanding in the field of cooperation regarding technical barriers to trade between the Organization and the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People's Republic of China, and to sign it.

Fifth: Approving a memorandum of understanding between the Financial Investigation Directorate at the Presidency of State Security in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Financial Intelligence Service in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia for cooperation in the exchange of information related to combating money laundering, related crimes, and terrorist financing.

Sixth: Approving a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of the peaceful uses of outer space between the Saudi Space Agency and the United Nations.

Seventh: Approving a memorandum of understanding between the National Center for Non-Profit Sector Development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities in the State of Qatar for cooperation in the non-profit sector.

Eighth: Approving the unified rules for owners of jointly owned properties in the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.

Ninth: Transferring the jurisdiction of issuing import permits for chemicals circulated in local markets, their export, re-export, and clearance permits - stipulated in the Chemicals Management Law - from the Ministry of Commerce to each of: the Ministry of Interior, the High Commission for Industrial Security, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority.

Tenth: Approving the mechanism for the integration of roles between the Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission and the National Cancer Center at the Saudi Health Council to achieve nuclear and radiological regulatory requirements.

Eleventh: Appointing Dr. Abdullah bin Hussein Al-Qadi, Dr. Mohammed bin Hamdi Al-Jahdali, and Dr. Sultan bin Mansour Al-Sharif as members of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Wildlife Development.