Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, hailed on Tuesday the extraordinary efforts that went into hosting this year’s annual Hajj pilgrimage.
Chairing a cabinet meeting in Jeddah, he praised the concerned parties in ensuring that the pilgrims had a smooth journey and were able to perform the Hajj at ease.
He thanked God Almighty for bestowing upon Saudi Arabia the honor of serving the Two Holy Mosques and in organizing the Hajj and Umrah.
The cabinet was briefed on the talks and contacts held between Saudi Arabia and various friendly countries over the past week that were aimed at consolidating relations and cooperation in all fields.
The cabinet also reviewed the outcomes of the Kingdom's participation in several regional and international gatherings.
Such participation is in line with the Kingdom's commitment to supporting multilateral approaches and collective efforts aimed at resolving crises in the region and the world, achieving international security and stability, and creating conditions conducive to development and prosperity.
The cabinet highlighted the Kingdom's strong efforts on both political and humanitarian fronts to halt Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people. It noted the Kingdom's international efforts to support initiatives aimed at gaining further global recognition of the State of Palestine, as well as its ongoing provision of relief aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip.
On domestic affairs, the cabinet highlighted the launch of the Geographic Survey Project for Renewable Energy sites in the Kingdom, which is the first of its kind globally.
The project reflects the Kingdom's commitment to achieving ambitious national targets in renewable energy production, contributing to the optimal energy mix for electricity generation and displacing liquid fuel use, and supporting the Kingdom's goal of exporting electric power and producing clean hydrogen.
The cabinet highlighted the awarding of contracts for the second phase of the Jafurah natural-gas field project development program and the third phase of the main gas network expansion project in the Kingdom.
These developments fall within the continued development and economic diversification efforts, utilizing the comparative advantages that the Kingdom enjoys, and strengthening its leadership position in global energy markets.
It noted the new discoveries of oil and natural gas made by the Saudi Aramco in the Eastern Region and the Empty Quarter.
The cabinet commended the progresses and successes the Human Capability Development Program and National Industrial Development and Logistics Program have achieved and their contributions to boosting the Kingdom’s global competitiveness and its status as a leading international industrial powerhouse and logistics hub.
Moreover, the cabinet noted the results listed in the World Competitiveness Yearbook Report for 2024, regarding the Kingdom’s advancement to the 16th rank among the most competitive countries in the world, and its achievement of the first positions in a number of sub-indexes, supported by improved business legislation and infrastructure, a thriving economy, and a society that interacts with the world.
