The Custodian of the Two Holy King Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired the Cabinet's session at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh this afternoon.

At the outset of the session, King Salman briefed the Cabinet on the outcomes of his talks with Guinea President Alpha Conde; the message received from Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah; the telephone call received from Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir; and the results of his meetings with Iraqi Parliament Speaker Dr. Salim Al-Jubouri and U.S. Congressional delegation.

The Cabinet was briefed on the joint statement issued by the Saudi-Egyptian Coordination Council in its fifth meeting held in Riyadh yesterday, commending the signing of a number of agreements to enhance continuing bilateral cooperation.

On Syria, the Cabinet considered the partial withdrawal of Russian troops as a positive step, expressing hope that this withdrawal contributes to accelerating the pace of the political process based on Geneva I Declaration and compelling Al-Assad's regime to make concessions necessary to achieve the political transition being sought by everyone in Syria.

The Cabinet reconfirmed the Kingdom's condemnation of continuing violations and crimes being committed by the Syrian regime against its people which resulted in the murdering of 400,000 people, the injury of about one million people and the displacement, migration and asylum of over 12 million people, highlighting the joint statement recently delivered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) before Human Rights Council in Geneva. The Cabinet also expressed resentment of delaying aid permits and access of necessary medical supplies into besieged areas.

The Cabinet expressed the Kingdom's strong condemnation of the terrorist bombing that took place in Istanbul and the suicide attack in Borno in Nigeria, reconfirming the firm positions of the Kingdom against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

The Cabinet concluded by discussing a number of domestic affairs including the signing of a MoU with the Azerbaijani in the field of civil defense.