Saudi Arabia’s government welcomed on Tuesday the Arab foreign ministers’ recent meeting on Jerusalem and its stressing of the centrality of the city as a main issue for Arabs, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired the cabinet session that was held in Riyadh.
The foreign ministers had met in Jordan over the weekend to tackle the repercussions of US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The Saudi cabinet stressed that the city was key to peace in the region and there could be no stability without the establishment of a Palestinian state according to the 1967 borders and whose capital is East Jerusalem.
King Salman also briefed the ministers on the telephone call made to Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, his talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammad Najib Abdul Razzaq and President Nicos Anastasiades of Republic of Cyprus and Egypt parliament Speaker Dr. Ali Abdel-Aal, reported SPA.
Minister of Information Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad told SPA that the cabinet expressed its gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, following the issuance of the royal order to pay annual allowances and bonuses.
The decree covers citizens of civilian and military personnel, rewards for military personnel participating in the front lines of military operations in the southern boundary of Saudi Arabia, the addition of the allowance of high cost of living to pension salaries and monthly allocations for social security beneficiaries, increasing the reward for male and female students, the state's payment of the value added tax for citizens benefiting from private health services and private education, and the state's payment of the value added tax for no more than SR 850,000 from the price of purchasing the first house for citizens.
The government said that the royal decree stems from King Salman’s desire to ease burdens on citizens and provide them with continued support. It also reflects his keenness on their prosperity and providing them with decent standards of living.
It also expressed Saudi Arabia's strong condemnation of the suicide attack on a mosque in the town of Jambura in northeastern Nigeria, reiterating the Kingdom's rejection of these heinous acts of terrorism.
