The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet's session at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah this afternoon. At the outset of the session, King Salman expressed his thanks and appreciation to the leaders and presidents for their condolences on the death of Princess Jawaher bint Abdulaziz, praying to Allah Almighty to protect them from any harm.

King Salman briefed the Cabinet on the message he received from Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, and the outcomes of his meetings with the Prime Minister Tammam Salam of Lebanon and Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammed Najib Abdul Razak.

The Cabinet expressed the Kingdom's condemnation of attempts to destabilize the security and stability of Bahrain commended Bahraini security authorities for thwarting a terrorist plot associated with foreign terrorist parties aimed at undermining security and stability in the country. The Cabinet emphasized the importance of concerted efforts to eradicate terrorism in all its forms.

The Cabinet expressed the Kingdom's denunciation of the continuing policy of racial discrimination and ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. It reiterated the Kingdom's call for the need to address such a policy in the framework of the resolutions of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the United Nations and the principles of universal human rights.

The Cabinet appreciated King Salman’s order to treat the citizens who sacrificed their lives and prevented a terrorist attack on worshipers inside Al-Hussein Mosque at Al-Anoud neighborhood in Dammam as the martyrs and to award them the Medals of Bravery.

The Cabinet hailed the Saudi armed forces’ successes in repel numerous attacks on Jizan and Najran Sectors from Yemen and responding forcefully against shelling and rocket fire from Yemen.

The Cabinet stressed that King Salman’s approval to expand the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Award for Environmental Management to include members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation reflects the importance the Kingdom places on environmental issues.

Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Adel bin Zaid Altoraifi said following the meeting that the Cabinet took the following decisions: approved an amendment to the wildlife trafficking regulations that would require the names of offenders to be published in local newspapers; authorized the president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, or his deputy, to discuss with the French side a draft memorandum of understanding for scientific and technical cooperation, sign it and submit the final version for further regular procedures; authorized the Acting Minister of Housing, or his deputy, to discuss with the Russian side a draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of housing, sign it, and submit the final version for further regular procedures; authorized the Minister of Agriculture, or his deputy, to discuss with the Russian Ministry of Agriculture a draft memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the fields of agriculture, sign it, and submit the final version for further regular procedures; and authorized the president of General Civil Aviation Authority, or his deputy, to sign a draft agreement with Cameroon in the field of air transport services, and then submit the final version for further regular procedures.

The Council of Ministers approved the application of a number of decisions of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) issued in its 35th session, held in Doha earlier his year, including the adoption of the updated plan for non-communicable disease prevention and control; continuing work as a guideline with all the unified rules and principles for the integration of financial markets in the GCC which had already been adopted by the Supreme Council until the completion of the unified rules system for the full integration of the financial markets of the Council's states, and ensuring harmonization and compatibility with each other; adoption of the GCC Declaration on Human Right; adoption of the GCC Unified Food System as a guideline for two years; and approval of the outcome of the GCC Customs Union Commission with respect to some requirements of the final phase of the customs union.