Saudi Arabia backs political resolution to safeguard region from escalating tensions and instability

JEDDAH — The Saudi Council of Ministers emphasized on Tuesday the imperative of de-escalation and expressed support for Pakistani mediation and diplomatic initiatives aimed at achieving a political resolution that would shield the region from further tensions, insecurity, and instability. Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman chaired the Cabinet session in Jeddah. The Cabinet also reaffirmed the importance of restoring the freedom of international navigation in the Strait of Hormuz to its pre–February 28 status, ensuring the safe and unhindered passage of vessels.At the outset of the session, the Crown Prince briefed the Cabinet on the contents of messages received by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and himself from President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan.The Crown Prince also informed the Cabinet of his recent phone call with President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during which he condemned the Iranian attacks targeting the UAE and affirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for the UAE in the defense of its security and stability. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said that the Cabinet discussed the outcomes of Saudi Arabia’s participation in regional and international meetings. This reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to continued cooperation with friendly nations, and to supporting coordination across various fields and on numerous issues of mutual interest. This aims to strengthen mechanisms for collective responseand address global challenges. On the domestic front, the Cabinet addressed the overall performance indicators of several key sectors amid the accelerated implementation of strategies and initiatives, as well as the significant growth of local content, the expansion of national supply chains, and the strengthening of their competitiveness.The Cabinet considered the launch of the “Saudi Environment Week 2026” as an extension of the Kingdom’s efforts to enhance community participation in achieving national goals for environmental protection and development. This includes several achievements such as quadrupling the area of protected regions, rehabilitating more than one million hectares of desertified land, planting 159 million trees using renewable water sources, releasing thousands of endangered wildlife, and leading regional and international initiatives with a sustainable impact. The Cabinet approved the executive regulations for the Fundraising Law, and the organization of the National Falconry Center. It approved the agreement between the governments of Saudi Arabia and India on the mutual exemption from short-stay visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, special, and official passports. The Council approved the agreement between the governments of Saudi Arabia and Tunisia on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters. The Cabinet authorized minister of culture and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language or his deputy to discuss with the Jordanian and Moroccan sides the draft memoranda of understanding (MoUs) between the academy and both the Jordan Academy of the Arabic Language and the Royal Academy of Morocco in the field of serving the Arabic language, and to sign them. The Cabinet approved the MoU for cooperation between the Ministry of Justice of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Law and Justice of Pakistan, and another MoU between the Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy for cooperation in the field of mineral resources.The Council approved a MoU for cooperation in the postal sector between the Saudi Ministry of Transport and Logistics and the Tunisian Ministry of Communication Technologies, and another MoU between the High Commission for Industrial Security and Naif Arab University for Security Sciences in the field of industrial security. It also approved a MoU between the Saudi Food and Drug Authority and the Turkish Halal Accreditation Agency. The Council authorized the Saudi Authority of Internal Auditors to discuss and sign a draft MoU with the French Institute of Internal Audit and Control (IFACI) for cooperation in the field of internal audit, governance, risk, and compliance. The Cabinet approved a MoU between the Saudi Agricultural Development Fund and the International Fund for agricultural Development (IFAD) for cooperation in developing the agricultural sector, and another MoU between the King Fahd National Library of Saudi Arabia and the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for cooperation in the field of knowledge and publishing. The Cabinet decided that the state will bear the fees for needy persons with disabilities related to recruitment, exit and re-entry visas, and the issuance and renewal of residency permits for domestic worker professions approved by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.