Chaired by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques...

Cabinet: Emphasis on Taking Firm Measures to Protect the Kingdom's Security and Ships

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - may God preserve him - chaired the session held by the Cabinet today in Jeddah.

At the beginning of the session, the Cabinet reviewed the content of the telephone call received by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister - may God preserve him - from His Excellency the President of the Lebanese Republic, Joseph Aoun, and what took place during it of appreciation for the supportive positions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia towards Lebanon, and its efforts in achieving stability and peace in the region.

The Council followed up on the latest developments in the regional arena and their repercussions on international peace and security, expressing in this context its strongest condemnation of the false allegations of the terrorist Houthi militia and their baseless accusations, and their involvement in a conflict in the region to support their ominous agenda and goals, which has contributed to deepening the suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people and threatening regional security and stability, reiterating the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's continued support for the brotherly Yemeni people and their legitimate government, and taking firm measures to protect its security and ships in accordance with international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982.

The Council renewed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's solidarity and full support for the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the measures they take against the Iranian aggressions that violate international law and principles of good neighborliness, and emphasized the importance of an immediate halt to all forms of military escalation in order to preserve the stability of the countries and peoples of the region.

His Excellency the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development and Acting Minister of Media, Engineer Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi, stated in his statement to the Saudi Press Agency after the session that the Cabinet then discussed the outcomes of the Kingdom's active presence in international meetings and forums, praising in this context the joint national efforts and their contributions to the success of the participation in the High-Level Political Forum for the year 2026 held at the United Nations, and what the third Voluntary National Review report reflected of continuous progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in areas of supporting water security, expanding renewable energy, improving access to healthcare services, developing digital government, flourishing industrial development, in addition to the inclusiveness of economic growth.

The Council touched on the contents of the United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on the urban agenda, which included highlighting the Kingdom's successes and achievements in building more sustainable and higher quality of life cities by increasing the rate of Saudi families' home ownership, increasing the per capita share of spaces and public areas, developing the mobility system, and expanding community participation in the development process.

The Cabinet considered a set of reports, statistics, and indicators related to the national economy and the contribution of the reforms and policies pursued 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, as it continues to record low levels compared to many advanced and emerging economies.

His Excellency stated that the Council praised the progress the Kingdom has made to the (thirteenth) rank globally among the largest economies attracting foreign direct investment in the year 2025, according to the report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, emphasizing that this achievement reflects the advanced position the Kingdom has established as a global destination attractive for investment, and the effectiveness of economic reforms achieved, and the growing confidence of investors in the investment environment, supported by the growth of net foreign direct investment inflows by (53%) to reach (32.6) billion dollars, and the rise in competitiveness of strategic sectors, foremost among which are energy, infrastructure, technology, advanced industries, and logistics services.

The Cabinet reviewed the topics on its agenda, including topics that the Shura Council participated in studying, and also reviewed the conclusions of each of the Political and Security Affairs Council, the Economic and Development Affairs Council, the General Committee of the Cabinet, and the Council of Experts in the Cabinet regarding them, and the Council concluded the following:

First: Authorizing His Royal Highness the Minister of Interior - or his deputy - to negotiate with the Maldivian side regarding a draft memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Interior in 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 deputy - to negotiate with the Australian side regarding a draft memorandum of understanding on political consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia, and to sign it.

Third: Authorizing His Royal Highness the Minister of Culture, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Museums Commission - or his deputy - to negotiate with the Jordanian side regarding a 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, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization - or his deputy - to negotiate with the Chinese side regarding a draft memorandum of understanding in the field of cooperation on 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 General Directorate of Financial Investigation under the Presidency of State Security in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Financial Intelligence Service of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia for cooperation in the field of exchanging information related to combating money laundering, related crimes, and terrorist financing.

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

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 common properties in the Gulf Cooperation Council states.

Ninth: Transferring the competence of issuing the permit to import, export, re-export, and release chemicals traded in local markets - as stipulated in the Chemicals Management System - from the Ministry of Commerce to each of: the Ministry of Interior and the Supreme Authority for Industrial Security, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, and the Food and Drug Authority.

Tenth: Approving a mechanism for integrating roles between the Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission and the National Cancer Center at the Saudi Health Council to meet the requirements of nuclear and radiological control.

Eleventh: Appointing Dr. Abdullah bin Hussein Al-Qadi, Dr. Muhammad 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.