Saudi Arabia Asserts Need to Promote Dialogue, Respect Among Peoples

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, chaired the Cabinet session at al-Salam Palace in Jeddah (SPA)
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, chaired the Cabinet session at al-Salam Palace in Jeddah (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Asserts Need to Promote Dialogue, Respect Among Peoples

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, chaired the Cabinet session at al-Salam Palace in Jeddah (SPA)
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, chaired the Cabinet session at al-Salam Palace in Jeddah (SPA)

Saudi Arabia has stressed the importance of nurturing and exerting international efforts to promote dialogue and respect among peoples and cultures and rejecting all acts instating hatred and extremism.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, chaired the cabinet session held on Tuesday at al-Salam Palace in Jeddah.

The cabinet addressed several regional and international developments, including Sudan and Niger, reiterating the Kingdom's call for prioritizing the national interest in these two countries and halting military escalation.

It also stressed Saudi Arabia's rejection of the coup d'état that overturned the legitimate president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum.

The session reviewed the outcome of the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states, convened upon the request by Saudi Arabia and Iraq to discuss repeated acts of burning copies of the Holy Quran in Sweden and Denmark.

The meeting also reviewed the talks held by the Kingdom with several other countries over the past few days aiming to strengthen relations and partnerships to serve common interests and nurture friendship and cooperation in various fields.

Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources and Acting Minister of Media Bandar bin Ibrahim al-Khorayef announced that the cabinet touched on the most prominent national economy performance indicators at the local level.

It also addressed the positive ratings and expectations of major international institutions that predict continued growth next year, propped by investments in mega projects in the non-oil sector.

Khorayef said that the government expressed satisfaction with the results of the economic and financial reforms aimed at stimulating economic growth and strengthening the Kingdom's financial position to ensure financial sustainability and prosperity.

During the meeting, the cabinet issued several decisions and approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Energy and the Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy for cooperation in electricity, renewable energy, and clean hydrogen.

It authorized the Minister of Energy, or a deputy, to hold discussions with the Bulgarian side on a draft MoU for cooperation in energy between the two governments.

The cabinet permitted the Minister of Sports, or a deputy, to discuss a draft MoU for cooperation with the Bahraini General Sports Authority.

The Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, or a deputy, is authorized to discuss drafting memoranda of understanding in agricultural fields with the Polish, Tajik, and Mozambique sides.

The cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in intellectual property between the Saudi Authority of Intellectual Property and the Intellectual Property Office of the UK and another between the Saudi Control and Anti-Corruption Authority and the Chinese National Supervisory Commission.

The Saudi Chief of State Security, or a deputy, is authorized to discuss with the Japanese side a draft statement of cooperation between the General Administration of Financial Investigation at the Presidency of State Security and the Japan Financial Intelligence Center at the National Public Safety Commission on money laundering and financing terrorism.

In coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the session authorized the Saudi Space Agency to take the measures needed to join the Charter establishing the Space for Climate Observatory (SCO).

Furthermore, the cabinet authorized the Minister of Media and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) to discuss with the Chinese side a draft cooperation MoU with the China Media Group.

It also transferred the supervision of the Madinah Peace Museum to the Ministry of Culture.

The cabinet appointed Rami al-Turki and Khaled bin Saleh al-Khattaf, both private sector representatives, as members of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones.

It named Mohammed al-Shatawi as a member and renewed the membership of Jamil al-Melhem and Yousef al-Yousifi, both from the private sector, in the Board of Directors of the Saudi Post.

The cabinet also reviewed several issues on its agenda and took necessary measures.



Saudi Arabia Condemns Israel’s Decision to Expand Settlement of Golan Heights

 An Israeli military vehicle rides by the ceasefire line between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, December 15, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle rides by the ceasefire line between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, December 15, 2024. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia Condemns Israel’s Decision to Expand Settlement of Golan Heights

 An Israeli military vehicle rides by the ceasefire line between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, December 15, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle rides by the ceasefire line between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, December 15, 2024. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia condemned on Sunday the Israeli government’s decision to expand settlements in the occupied Golan Heights “as it continues to sabotage attempts for Syria to restore its security and stability.”

A Foreign Ministry statement called on the international community to condemn these Israeli violations, stressing the need to respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Golan Heights are Syrian Arab lands, it added.

Israel agreed on Sunday to double its population on the Golan Heights.

"Strengthening the Golan is strengthening the State of Israel, and it is especially important at this time. We will continue to hold onto it, cause it to blossom, and settle in it," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

Israel captured most of the strategic plateau from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War, annexing it in 1981.