Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet approved on Monday the establishment of the Council of Family Affairs to improve the status of families in the Kingdom.The new framework aims at strengthening the status of the Saudi families and helping them preserve religious and moral values.

Saudi Minister of Labor and Social Development Mufrej Al-Haqbani said he was confident that the new council would achieve its goals in consolidating family cohesion, as families represent the bedrock of society.

The Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, chaired Cabinet’s Monday session, which was held at Al-Salam palace in Jeddah.

In a statement issued at the outset of the session, the Cabinet reiterated the Kingdom’s strong denunciation of terrorism in all its forms.

The Cabinet condemned the explosion that rocked the capital of Afghanistan last week, and the armed attack which took place in the German city of Munich, leaving tens of innocents killed or injured. In this context, the Saudi Cabinet called for concerted international efforts to fight terrorism, which is categorically rejected by all divine religions and human values.

Minister of Culture and Information Adel bin Zaid Altoriafi told the Saudi Press Agency following the meeting that the Cabinet reviewed a number of reports on regional and international developments, as well as international efforts in the field of terrorism combating.

The minister said that the Cabinet welcomed the outcome of the second meeting of the International Coalition for Fighting the so-called ISIS, held at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington D.C., in the presence of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Premier and minister of defense, who led the Saudi delegation to the meeting.

The international meeting, which was held last Wednesday, gathered over 30 defense ministers and officials from around the world to agree on the next steps in the campaign against the so-called Islamic State.
The Cabinet also welcomed the statement issued at the 25th session of the Joint Council and Ministerial Meeting of the European Union (EU) and of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), which was held in Brussels, Belgium, on July 18, 2016.

The statement highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation ties between the EU and the GCC in the wake of regional challenges.

“EU and GCC Ministers underlined the importance of further strengthening their ties, to serve as a solid and effective foundation for sustainable regional and international stability and security. Both sides expressed their wish to further enhance their political dialogue and cooperation, notably through the holding of regular EU-GCC Senior Officials meetings,” the statement said.

On a different note, the Cabinet was briefed on the report issued by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRELIEF) regarding the humanitarian assistance to Yemeni citizens who were injured during the ongoing war. The Saudi ministers noted that the report reflected the Kingdom’s pioneering relief and humanitarian role in general and in Yemen in particular, in line with the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, who calls for utmost impartiality and professionalism in providing Yemeni people with the greatest attention, regardless of their social segments or regions.

Altoriafi said the Cabinet was briefed on several issues on its agenda, some of which were reviewed in advance by the Shura Council.

The Cabinet approved an agreement between the Saudi government and the Government of the Republic of Tunisia on cooperation in the field of defense.

Source: english.aawsat.com