Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Council of Ministers on Tuesday reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for Syria and Lebanon and their peoples. The Cabinet session, chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, pledged its backing for the efforts aimed at restoring the natural status of the two countries within their Arab and international communities.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said the Council reiterated this position while discussing the outcome of the recent visits of Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan to Lebanon and Syria.

At the outset of the session, the Crown Prince briefed the Cabinet on the content of his phone call with the US President Donald Trump, and on his meeting with the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. He noted that during the talks, both sides reviewed the prospects for improving relations between the Kingdom and the US and Italy across various fields, in addition to discussing regional and international developments.

The Cabinet expressed its hope that the establishment of the Strategic Partnership Council between the Saudi and Italian governments would contribute to enhancing bilateral communication and cooperation at all levels in a way serving common interests and benefits.

The Cabinet hailed the Saudi delegation's participation in the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, saying that this outlined the continuous progress in achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, as well as the initiatives and contributions that are reshaping the global economic landscape, fostering transformational innovation, and unleashing human potential.

The Cabinet deemed the announcement that the Kingdom will host the World Economic Forum’s global meeting on a regular basis as an affirmation of its leadership as a global center for international dialogue, highlighting its role in shaping the global development agenda and enhancing multilateral action to achieve prosperity for all.

The Cabinet approved the regulations for government agencies to purchase and rent vehicles. It also endorsed the national plan to combat marine pollution with oil and other harmful substances in emergency situations.

It approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the governments of Saudi Arabia and the Philippines for cooperation in the field of energy.

The Cabinet authorized Chairman of the Board of Directors of the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah) or his representative to sign a draft memorandum of cooperation between the Darah and the Federal Archival Agency in the Russian Federation.

It authorized Minister of Interior or his representative to negotiate and sign a draft cooperation agreement in the field of using and replacing driving licenses between the Saudi and Chinese governments, and authorized Minister of Foreign Affairs or his representative to negotiate and sign a draft general cooperation agreement between the governments of Saudi Arabia and North Macedonia.

The Cabinet approved a MoU between the Saudi Ministry of Sports and Bahrain's General Sports Authority for cooperation in the field of sports, and another MoU in the field of cybersecurity between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Djibouti.

The Council approved a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of small and medium enterprises between the Saudi General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises (Monsha'at) and Pakistan's Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA), and another Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of intellectual property between the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property and the General Directorate of Intellectual Property at Indonesia's Ministry of Law and Human Rights.

The Cabinet approved another MoU for cooperation in the field of the Arabic language between the King Salman International Academy for the Arabic Language in Saudi Arabia and Al-Farabi National University in Kazakhstan.