Cabinet approves transformation of Saudi Space Commission into an agency
Saudi Gazette report
JEDDAH — The Kingdom’s Council of Ministers has approved the transformation of the Saudi Space Commission into an agency with the name Saudi Space Agency.
The decision was taken at the weekly Cabinet session chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Tuesday.
The Cabinet was briefed on the recent talks the Crown Prince held with the president of the Russian Federation and the prime minister of India, during which bilateral relations and prospects for strengthening cooperation in various fields were tackled.
The Cabinet also touched on the recent regional and international meetings hosted by the Kingdom as part of the Saudi leadership’s pivotal role in promoting work that contributes to the consolidation of international peace and security, development, progress and prosperity for all countries.
In this regard, the Cabinet reviewed the outcome of the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition against Daesh held in Riyadh, including the mechanisms and procedures aimed at enhancing cooperation and coordination in this regard, as well as Saudi Arabia’s presidency of the Africa Focus Group and the establishment of a new focus group to combat Daesh in the Khorasan Province, Afghanistan.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the meeting, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dosari said the Cabinet also discussed the outcome of the GCC-US ministerial meeting held in Riyadh, focusing on aspects of strategic partnerships between the two sides with the aim of promoting peace, security, stability and economic prosperity in the Middle East.
The Cabinet reaffirmed the keenness of the Kingdom, expressed at the second ministerial meeting of members of the League of Arab States and Pacific Small Island Developing States, to address common and most pressing global challenges, including food security, supply chains, climate change and sustainable development.
The Cabinet also commended the unprecedented attendance of the 10th Arab-China Business Conference hosted by the Kingdom. Over 3,500 participants from 26 counties attended the event that saw signing of agreements in several fields worth over $10 billion. The agreements aim to expand economic, commercial and investment relations between the two sides and develop them to achieve further growth, progress and prosperity.
The Cabinet expressed the Kingdom’s strong desire for broad participation by donor countries in the upcoming conference, scheduled for June 19, in response to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and the region, the minister said, adding that the aim of the conference is to collectively alleviate the effects of the crisis. The Cabinet reaffirmed the Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to facilitate dialogue and convergence of views between the conflicting parties, with the ultimate goal of resolving the crisis through political dialogue.
Locally, the Cabinet underlined the International Monetary Fund (IMF) statement, issued at the end of the fourth quarter of 2022, commending the remarkable achievements of the Saudi economy as a result of the continued pace of development of the non-oil sector, tangible recovery of the investment area, and continued implementation of economic reforms aimed at achieving comprehensive and sustainable growth.
The Cabinet underlined the Kingdom’s leading position and progress in several economic areas in 2022, most notably the fact that it had the fastest-growing economy among G20 economies, the drop in unemployment rates to historic levels, and the high participation of women in the labor force, as well as the improvement of indicators related to digitization, regulatory environment and business environment.
The meeting approved the Civil Transactions System and Saudi Arabia’s accession to the Donor Advisory Group of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.