Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, chaired the Cabinet's session at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday afternoon.
At the outset of the session, the Cabinet was briefed on the talks held by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud with Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of the State of Kuwait, on the prospects of cooperation between the two brotherly countries and the overall events and developments at regional and international arenas, commending deep historical and intimate relations between the two countries and their keenness on developing and enhancing them in all fields.
The Cabinet was briefed on the message received by the Crown Prince from Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of the State of Kuwait.
The Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohiuddin Khoja said in a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session that the Cabinet discussed the developments of events in the region and the world, and it was briefed on a series of reports on the Kingdom's participation in a number of conferences and forums held in sisterly and friendly countries. The Cabinet commended holding Syrian Refugees Case Conference, hosted by Germany, in which the Kingdom renewed emphasis on its permanent and firm position, which seeks to find a just solution to the Syrian crisis and achieves the aspirations of the Syrian brotherly people, and its support for all efforts to assist and protect Syrian displaced people and refugees.The cabinet welcomed the statement issued on the work of the fourth session of the conference of the fight against piracy, which was held in the United Arab Emirates under the title of "Securing State Recovery: Sustaining Momentum at Sea, Confronting Instability on Land."
The cabinet condemned the Israeli authorities' closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, considering this criminal act as a violation of the feelings of Muslims, serious precedent and direct provocation of all Muslims in the world. The Council of Ministers expressed the Kingdom's condemnation of the decision of the Israeli occupation authorities to approve the construction of a thousand housing units in the occupied city of Al-Quds, stressing that such practices embody the repeated Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian people and the holy sites in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Dr. Khoja said that the cabinet took the following decisions:
First:
The cabinet approved the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Timor Leste (East Timor) and the Republic of Costa Rica, at the level of (non-resident ambassador), and authorized the Foreign Minister - or his deputy - to sign two protocols to this effect.Second:
The Cabinet authorized Minister of Finance - or his deputy - to sign a draft agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Republic of Portugal to avoid double taxation and prevention of tax evasion with respect to taxes on income and the draft protocol accompanying it.
Third:
The Council of Ministers approved an agreement in the field of employment of domestic labor between the Ministry of Labor in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Labor and Employment of the Republic of Philippines signed in the city of Jeddah on 09/07/1434 AH.
Fourth:
The Cabinet approved that all institutions, bodies, funds with special regulations and all government entities that have job items shall lay the foundations and the criteria to fill the jobs on their basis in order to achieve the principle of equal opportunities and competition among applicants and abide by announcing - on their websites, on the Ministry of Civil Service site, and in two or more of the local newspapers - all jobs, related conditions, financial benefits and those principles and standards and that is until the application of the national gate for employment.Fifth:
The cabinet authorized the Minister of Communications and Information Technology - or his deputy - to discuss with the Hungarian side a draft memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of National Development in the Republic of Hungary on cooperation in the field of communications and information technology, sign it and then submit the final version to complete the necessary legal procedures.
Sixth:
The Council of Ministers approved that the Ministry of Civil Service shall include the profession of evaluation under an appropriate existing job name like jobs of finance, accounting or engineering affairs.
Seventh:
The cabinet approved the following appointments:
1- Tamim bin Majed bin Faraj Al-Dosari to the job of ambassador at the Foreign Ministry.
2- Mohammed bin Mansour bin Dikheil Almalik to the job of Minister Plenipotentiary at the Foreign Ministry.
3- Hamza bin Mohammed Ali bin Mustafa Qasas to the job of Minister Plenipotentiary at the Foreign Ministry.
4- Abdulaziz bin Salih Al-Abdullah Al-Monis to the job of adviser (fifteenth rank) at the Ministry of Interior.
5- Fahad bin Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Hadian to the job of security advisor (fifteenth rank) at the Interior Ministry.
6- Abdullah bin Hassan bin Mohammed bin Shadid to the job of management advisor (fourteenth rank) at the Interior of Ministry.
7- Hamad bin Abdulaziz bin Nasir Al-Turki to the job of Director General of Madinah Branch of the Control and Investigation Bureau (rank 14).
8- Abdulaziz bin Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Alsaif to the job of Director General of the Office of the President of the Control and Investigation Bureau (rank 14).The Cabinet was briefed on the annual reports of Ministry of Health, Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution, and General Presidency of Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, for the fiscal year (1433/1434 AH) and issued its directives towards them.
The Cabinet's General Secretariat will submit the results of this session to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to issue his directives in this regard.