«مجلس الوزراء»: الموافقة على آلية تسجيل ومطابقة السمات الحيوية للقادمين والمغادرين عبر السفن السياحية

The Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, chaired the session held by the Council of Ministers today in Jeddah.

At the beginning of the session, the Council of Ministers expressed gratitude to the Almighty for what He has honored the Kingdom with in serving His Sacred House and the Mosque of His Noble Messenger, and for His grace and success - may He be exalted - for this country in achieving continuous success during last year's Hajj season, enabling more than 1.6 million pilgrims to perform their rituals with ease and reassurance, dedicating all its capabilities and energies for this purpose, under the constant directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

The Council praised the efforts of the Supreme Hajj Committee and all those working in the system of serving the Guests of the Most Merciful in implementing security, preventive, organizational, and health plans with precision and competence, which made the Kingdom a global model in crowd management and providing the best services to those visiting the Two Holy Mosques and the sacred sites.

The Council followed up on the efforts of the relevant authorities in providing the needs of the pilgrims from the Islamic Republic of Iran, securing hundreds of air and land trips for their safe return to their homeland, following the circumstances their country has faced, affirming that serving and caring for the Guests of the Most Merciful is one of the most important goals and greatest concerns.

Subsequently, the Crown Prince briefed the Council of Ministers on the contents of the messages received by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, from the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros, the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Lông Quang, and the President of the Republic of Angola, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, regarding the relations between the Kingdom and their countries and ways to support and enhance them in various fields.

The Council then reviewed the latest developments and events in the region and the world, reiterating the Kingdom's positions expressed by the Crown Prince during his communications with the leaders of brotherly and friendly countries, and the continuous support for international efforts aimed at achieving regional and global security and peace, addressing crises, alleviating tensions, and activating dialogue through diplomatic means as an effective way to settle disputes and resolve conflicts. The Council emphasized the solidarity statement issued by the Kingdom with the brotherly State of Qatar and the firm rejection of any infringement on its sovereignty or threats to its security and stability.

The Minister of State, Member of the Council of Ministers for Shura Council Affairs, and Acting Minister of Media, Dr. Essam bin Saad bin Said, stated in his statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session that the Council confirmed the role of the international community in ending the catastrophic repercussions of the Israeli aggression against the brotherly Palestinian people, protecting innocent civilians, and creating a new reality in which Palestine enjoys peace in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions.

The Council expressed the Kingdom's welcome for the signing of the peace agreement between the Republics of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, looking forward to achieving the hopes of the two countries' peoples for development and prosperity, which would benefit regional and international security and stability.

The Council of Ministers considered the launch of the Global Water Organization's activities from its headquarters in Riyadh as a confirmation of the Kingdom's commitment to enhancing international initiatives and its keenness to strengthen mutual cooperation among countries, including supporting joint coordination to face the growing challenges related to this essential element of life.

The Council noted the election of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the Deputy Chair of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization and its selection as a member of the high-level international group for partnership, coordination, and capacity building in the field of statistics for the (2030 Sustainable Development Agenda), in addition to the inclusion of the "Uruq Bani Ma'arid" reserve in the green list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The Council indicated that it welcomed the final statement issued by the International Monetary Fund experts regarding the "Article IV" consultations with the Kingdom for the year 2025, which included praises for the high resilience of the Saudi economy in facing global economic challenges, with the expansion of non-oil sector activities, containing inflation, and reaching the unemployment rate to its historically lowest levels, in alignment with the targets of (Vision 2030).

The Council addressed the results of the seventh session of the King Abdulaziz Quality Award, praising the commitment of the winning entities to adopt the principles of institutional excellence and elevate performance quality levels, contributing to enhancing output quality and achieving national targets.

The Council reviewed the topics listed on its agenda, including topics that the Shura Council participated in studying, and it was briefed on the outcomes of both the Political and Security Affairs Council and the Economic and Development Affairs Council, the General Committee of the Council of Ministers, and the Experts Authority at the Council of Ministers regarding them. The Council concluded with the following:

First:

Authorize the Minister of Interior - or his representative - to sign a draft cooperation agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria in the field of combating organized crime.

Second:

Approval of an agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Republic of Italy regarding mutual exemption from short-stay visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, special, or service passports.

Third:

Authorize the Minister of Foreign Affairs - or his representative - to negotiate with the Russian side regarding a draft agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Russian Federation on mutual exemption from entry visas for the citizens of both countries and to sign it.

Fourth:

Approval of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the field of Islamic affairs.

Fifth:

Authorize the Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture - or his representative - to negotiate with the International Agricultural Research Advisory Group regarding a draft agreement between the ministry and the group to enhance sustainability and innovation in the agricultural sector in the Kingdom and to sign it.

Sixth:

Approval of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development in the Republic of Zambia for cooperation in the field of mineral wealth in the mining sector.

Seventh:

Approval for the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources - or his representative - to complete what is necessary for the Kingdom's accession to the Integrated Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Development.

Eighth:

Change the name of the Supreme National Investment Committee in the Economic and Development Affairs Council to: "National Investment Committee in the Economic and Development Affairs Council."

Ninth:

Approval of a mechanism for registering and matching the biometric features of those arriving in and departing from the Kingdom via cruise ships.

Tenth:

The Ministry of Education shall be the technical supervising authority - in light of the Associations and Non-Profit Organizations System - over the Saudi Arabian Scout Association.

Eleventh:

Reconstitute the Committee for Settling Insurance Disputes and Violations in the city of Dammam, chaired by Mr. Saleh bin Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, with the membership of Dr. Mohammed bin Saud Al-Duwailij and Dr. Suleiman bin Mohammed Al-Hamid.

Twelfth:

Approval of the final accounts of the General Authority for Food Security and the Saudi Red Crescent Authority for a previous financial year.

Thirteenth:

Approval of promotions in the ranks of (fifteenth) and (fourteenth) and the position of (Minister Plenipotentiary), as follows:

- Promotion of Abdullah bin Othman bin Mashari Al-Anqari to the position of (Senior Business Advisor) at the rank of (fifteenth) at the Ministry of Interior.

- Promotion of Mansour bin Saeed bin Faiz Al-Muhawesh Al-Anzi to the position of (Senior Business Advisor) at the rank of (fifteenth) at the Ministry of Interior.

- Promotion of Turki bin Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Ayyid to the position of (Senior Computer Engineering Advisor) at the rank of (fifteenth) at the Ministry of Interior's Civil Affairs Agency.

- Promotion of Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Fahd Al-Ghufaili to the position of (General Manager of Branch) at the rank of (fifteenth) at the Ministry of Justice.

- Promotion of Mishari bin Rashid bin Dubas Al-Dubas to the position of (General Manager) at the rank of (fifteenth) at the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing.

- Promotion of Abdullah bin Othman bin Ibrahim Al-Rashid to the position of (Senior Religious Research Advisor) at the rank of (fifteenth) at the General Presidency for Scientific Research and Ifta.

- Promotion of Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Dwaish to the position of (Research Advisor for Issues) at the rank of (fourteenth) at the General Directorate for Drug Control.

- Promotion of Manal bint Hassan bin Suleiman Radwan to the position of (Minister Plenipotentiary) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

- Promotion of Abdul Mohsen bin Fahd bin Suleiman Al-Shaibi to the position of (Legal Advisor) at the rank of (fourteenth) at the Ministry of Justice.

- Promotion of Ayman bin Ibrahim bin Ali Al-Alyani Al-Qurashi to the position of (Office Manager) at the rank of (fourteenth) at the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

- Promotion of Ibrahim bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al-Mazrou to the position of (Agricultural Advisor) at the rank of (fourteenth) at the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing.

- Promotion of Engineer Eid bin Hamoud bin Hassan Al-Quraishi Al-Subaie to the position of (Assistant Undersecretary for Road Network Maintenance) at the rank of (fourteenth) at the Riyadh Region Municipality.

- Promotion of Huda bint Suleiman bin Mohammed Al-Zaqaq to the position of (General Manager) at the rank of (fourteenth) at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.

The Council also reviewed a number of general topics listed on its agenda, including annual reports for the Ministry of Tourism, the National Development Fund, and the Tourism Development Fund, and the Council took the necessary actions regarding those topics.