The Council of Ministers on Monday discussed plans and preparations for this year’s Haj pilgrimage and urged government departments and private agencies to mobilize resources to make the annual event a success.

The Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, said the Kingdom would make every effort to help pilgrims perform their religious duties comfortably.

Prince Salman said: “King Abdullah has harnessed the state's potentials, agencies and resources with determination and dedication to serve the homeland and its citizens,” he said.

The crown prince also expressed his appreciation of Saudi citizens for their expressions of pride and joy on the 83rd anniversary of the National Day, which was celebrated on Sept. 23.

Minister of Culture and Information, Abdul Aziz Khoja, said the Cabinet reviewed the latest regional and global developments, as well as the 68th session of the UN General Assembly.

The Cabinet said Saudi Arabia has become a reference for mass gathering medicine as a result of its longstanding experience in serving the largest human gatherings during Haj and Umrah seasons.

The Cabinet commended King Abdullah for his continuous support to youth and sports, adding that it contributed to raising the Kingdom’s flag in various forums of international sports.

The Cabinet said that the Saudi Center for the Approval of Health Facilities would be linked organizationally to the chairman of the board of health services. The center will approve uniform national standards for health facilities, license health facilities in the Kingdom and follow up on their performance.

The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Financial Intelligence Unit and the Jordanian Unit for Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism. It also approved MoUs with the Colombian unit for financial information analysis and the Sri Lankan financial intelligence unit for cooperation in the field of exchanging financial investigations of money laundering and financing of terrorism signed in St. Petersburg, Russia on July 10, 2012.

The Cabinet renewed the cooperation agreement with Egypt in the field of veterinary services for five years.

It appointed Abdul Aziz bin Ibrahim Fallatah, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Kharif and Azhar bin Moidu Moidinkunhi to the board of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality for three years. It also appointed Mohammed bin Abbas Kelabi ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ahmad bin Fahd Al-Fuhaid administrative adviser at the Ministry of Labor; Musaed bin Abdullah Al-Firyan deputy director general for Research and Information at the Institute of Public Administration; Dawas bin Abdul Aziz Al-Dawas chief of section at the Ministry of Finance; Ali bin Mohammed Al-Qahtani petroleum adviser at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources; and Saleh bin Suleiman Faraj labor adviser at the Ministry of Labor.