RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman in Monday’s Cabinet meeting briefed the ministers on his meetings and consultations with the leaders of the G-20 countries in Antalya, Turkey, aimed at improving ties, and said that the summit would help grow the global economy.

The Cabinet reviewed several reports about regional and international developments. The ministers praised the king for advancing efforts to meet various sustainable development goals beyond 2015, Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Toraifi said in a statement following the Cabinet session.

The Cabinet was also briefed on the results of the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council at its 137th session in Riyadh. The ministers hailed the positions of countries that supported the resolution drafted by the Kingdom condemning intervention in Syria, which was endorsed by the United Nations.

The Cabinet welcomed the return of the “legitimate Yemeni government to Aden and its supervision of the extensive military operations to liberate the rest of the provinces from the hands of Houthi and coup militias.”

The Cabinet condemned the continued Israeli occupation and “arbitrary measures” against the Palestinian people. It also condemned all terrorist acts including the recent one on a hotel in the Malian capital of Bamako, which resulted in several deaths and injuries. The Cabinet welcomed the recommendations from the Arab Justice Ministers’ 31st meeting in Cairo, Egypt, under the Kingdom’s chairmanship, which included the agreement to establish an Arab Network for Judicial Cooperation to fight terrorism.


On the local front, the Cabinet welcomed efforts to establish a Family Safety Program by the health affairs department of the Ministry of the National Guard, which is aimed at enhancing the role of families in the fight against violence, extremism and terrorism.

It also stressed the importance of the seminar on electronic warfare organized by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense.

The Cabinet authorized the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage to discuss a memorandum of understanding with the United States’ Ministry of Cultural Affairs (New Mexico) on urban heritage.

The Cabinet also authorized the Justice Ministry to discuss with Belorussia an agreement on judicial affairs; and authorized the Ministry of Finance to sign a draft agreement between the Kingdom and Kenya on tax evasion.

The Cabinet further authorized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss a cooperation agreement with Ghana; and gave permission for the Education Ministry to discuss a draft agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on training engineers.