Amlak Real Estate Newspaper publishes the text of the speech of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may God protect him, which he delivered yesterday, Wednesday, during his opening of the fourth year of the sixth session of the Shura Council.<\/p>\n
In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful<\/p>\n
Thanks be to God, Lord of all worlds<\/p>\n
Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of God, and upon his family and all his companions.<\/p>\n
I am pleased to open the work of the fourth year of the sixth session of the Shura Council, asking God Almighty to grant us success in fulfilling the trust and bearing the responsibility in the best possible way. He is the All-Hearing, the Responsive.<\/p>\n
Brothers and sisters:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n It is my pleasure, through this meeting, to review the Kingdom\u2019s internal and external policies, and the most prominent developments and challenges in this regard, looking forward to us all cooperating in strengthening the gains and addressing the obstacles in a way that contributes to the advancement of our dear homeland and the level of service provided to its citizens.<\/p>\n The development journey has continued at a steady pace since the era of King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud and after him his righteous sons - may God have mercy on them all - until the present day. At the forefront of our commitments is what God has honored our country with, which is serving the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors, pilgrims, Umrah performers and visitors. This is a commitment that we are proud of and cherish, and we have pledged to God Almighty to give what is precious and valuable for this purpose. In this context comes the state\u2019s interest in the construction and expansion of the Two Holy Mosques.<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The development programs we are witnessing stem from our religious principles and social values, which preserve rights and define duties. We are determined to continue these programs in the political, cultural, economic, social and service development aspects. Hence, we have directed the restructuring of the Cabinet's bodies and what followed from that by abolishing many councils, bodies and committees, and transferring their powers to both (the Council of Political and Security Affairs, and the Council of Economic Affairs and Development). Through these two councils, under the supervision and follow-up of the Cabinet, efforts will continue to enhance the development process, achieve integration of roles, define responsibilities and powers, keep pace with developments, improve the work environment and strengthen state institutions.<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The rise in oil prices during the past years has contributed to a large influx of financial revenues, which the state has been keen to use to adopt many huge development projects and develop the infrastructure, in addition to strengthening the state\u2019s general reserve. This has enabled our country, thanks to God, to overcome the repercussions of the decline in oil prices, without affecting the continuation of the construction process and the implementation of development plans and projects. Our economy \u2013 thanks be to God \u2013 has continued its real growth despite international economic fluctuations and the decline in oil prices. The credit, after God, goes to the balanced and wise economic policies that the state follows in controlling public finances and maintaining stability and balance between resources and spending on large development projects in all sectors.<\/p>\n Thanks to God, we have succeeded in maintaining public debt levels that are still low compared to global rates. The Kingdom is keen to implement programs to diversify income sources and reduce dependence on oil as a primary source of income. Our vision for economic reform is based on raising the efficiency of government spending, utilizing economic resources, and increasing returns on government investments. We have directed the Council of Economic and Development Affairs to develop the necessary plans, policies, and programs for this. Our country, praise be to God, is a land of goodness and giving.<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The tenth development plan, which began this year, came on a solid economic development base that keeps pace with aspirations and the most important developments and challenges. The development plan aims to raise the level of the gross domestic product, consolidate the foundations of comprehensive economic development, develop human resources and raise their employment rates, and increase spending on infrastructure. The Council of Economic and Development Affairs, through its mechanisms, will follow up to ensure the success of the work and raise the level of performance. In this context, the National Center for Measuring the Performance of Government Agencies was established. We also directed, based on what the Council of Economic and Development Affairs recommended, that ministries and government agencies submit their directions and visions to the Council.<\/p>\n We are also keen to improve the Saudi commercial market, create an attractive environment for work and investment for national and foreign companies, simplify procedures and facilitate investment in the Saudi market. We have directed the opening of retail and wholesale trade activities for foreign companies in an effort to diversify the goods and services offered to citizens and provide them with high quality and appropriate competitive prices, and to open new opportunities for work and training for Saudi youth.<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The health sector remains one of our top priorities; the state is responsible for providing decent health care for citizens, and we have continued to provide human and financial support to this sector, which has contributed to raising the level of this service, with our aspiration to continue improving it, including providing more national human resources, through expanding the opening of medical and health colleges and raising the percentage of scholarship recipients in medical specialties.<\/p>\n As for education, the state has been keen to make its most prominent investments in the development of the Saudi human being, as it has provided all the capabilities and requirements necessary to raise the quality of education, increase its effectiveness, raise the level of its staff, and equip them with the required skills. In this context, the focus in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program has been on aligning the outputs of education with the needs of the labor market in order to contribute to bridging the gap with the needs of the labor market in some specializations, especially medicine and other scientific specializations.<\/p>\n Regarding the housing sector, everyone is aware of the care and attention the state gives to this sector and the huge budgets it has allocated to it, as it has provided all the necessary means of support to provide suitable housing for those who deserve it. In this regard, the state has encouraged investment in this field and strengthened the role of the private sector to be a partner that complements the government\u2019s efforts in achieving this goal. It has also sought to create a balance between supply and demand and to motivate landowners to develop and invest in their land in a way that contributes to meeting the increasing need for housing. Our approval of the white land fees system comes in pursuit of achieving this goal.<\/p>\n In the field of labor and human resources, this issue occupies a prominent position in the government's priorities, which has continued to update its administrative and financial arrangements and programs. Within the framework of raising the efficiency of the performance of government agencies and their employees, a human resources development program was launched. The government also recently established the Job Creation Authority to support coordination between all governmental and private entities related to the labor market, enhance participation between them, and work on developing job-generating sectors and investing the competitive advantage in the Kingdom's regions for this purpose, as well as the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises, and the National Program to Support Project Management in Public Entities. The state has also been keen to expand women's participation in development in a manner that does not conflict with the teachings of the true religion. Saudi women have proven their competence and ability to perform their role in various fields, including their active participation in the municipal elections that were recently held.<\/p>\n As for the transport sector, which is the backbone of development, the government has injected large sums of money to provide road infrastructure in the Kingdom, and transport projects have continued to develop and diversify. Road projects between the Kingdom\u2019s cities have increased, and the Haramain train projects, the Saudi Railway Company projects, and the King Abdulaziz Public Transport Project in Riyadh have been approved.<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n We are a Muslim community united by holding fast to the rope of God, and adhering to His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, as a creed, law, and methodology. Islamic law is based on truth, justice, tolerance, and the rejection of the causes of division. Therefore, everyone realizes the importance of national unity and the rejection of all causes of division, splitting of ranks, and harming national cohesion. Citizens are equal before rights, obligations, and duties, and we must all preserve this unity and confront all calls for evil and sedition, regardless of the source of these calls and the means of spreading them. The media has a great responsibility in this regard.<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Your country is committed to supporting efforts to confront the challenges and dangers surrounding the Arab and Islamic nations, and we have directed the Council of Political and Security Affairs to propose the necessary plans, programs and visions to confront these challenges and dangers.<\/p>\n Security is one of the most important blessings that God has bestowed upon our country, and it is the cornerstone of the stability and prosperity of nations. The Saudi citizen has always been and still is aware of his responsibility in this regard. He is the first line of defense for security and a support to his leadership and government in repelling the spiteful and the greedy. We will not allow anyone to tamper with our security and stability.<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Terrorism is a global scourge that has afflicted many countries and peoples. It has no religion or homeland. The valiant state security services have made tremendous efforts in confronting terrorists with all firmness and strength. They have succeeded, thanks be to God, in pursuing them and dismantling their networks and cells, in addition to carrying out preemptive security operations that have contributed effectively to warding off their evils and thwarting their plans. We are determined, with God\u2019s help and strength, to support and enhance the capabilities of our security services with all modern means and equipment that enable them to perform their duties and responsibilities to the fullest extent, and they are a source of our pride and honor.<\/p>\n In the Kingdom, we have suffered from the scourge of terrorism, and we have been and still are keen to fight it and confront with all firmness and resolve its intellectual premises that take the teachings of Islam as a justification for them, while Islam is innocent of them. It is no secret that fighting terrorism, confronting it, uprooting its roots and drying up its sources is a shared international responsibility, as its danger is imminent for everyone. From this standpoint came the formation of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition led by the Kingdom, and the establishment of a joint operations center in the city of Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations to fight terrorism and to develop the necessary programs and mechanisms to support those efforts, and to make appropriate arrangements to coordinate with friendly and peace-loving countries and international bodies in order to serve the international effort to combat terrorism and maintain international peace and security. The Kingdom has exerted and will continue to exert all that it can in this regard.<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is keen to defend Arab and Islamic causes in international forums, foremost among which is achieving what the Kingdom has always sought and continues to seek: that the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights and establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. The Kingdom affirms that the recent escalation and irresponsible actions of the Israeli occupation forces, including the killing of children, women, and innocent, unarmed civilians, the storming of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, the violation of its sanctity, and the assault on worshippers, constitute a major crime that must be stopped. Furthermore, the construction of Israeli settlements must be halted, and those already built must be dismantled. The Kingdom appeals to the international community to assume its responsibilities and take the necessary measures to protect the Palestinian people from Israeli aggression, which constitutes a provocation to the feelings of all Arabs and Muslims.<\/p>\n In the context of the Kingdom's keenness to fulfill its duties towards sister countries and support them, Operation Decisive Storm came with the participation of a number of Arab and Islamic countries and at the request of the legitimate government in Yemen to rescue it from a group that had rebelled against its legitimacy and tampered with its security and stability, and sought to dominate and sow discord in the region, threatening the security of neighboring countries, foremost among them the Kingdom, and implementing regional agendas that seek to interfere in the internal affairs of Arab countries by turning Yemen into a hotbed of sectarian and religious conflict. This necessitated that the coalition countries deal with this imminent danger to the security of Yemen and its people and the security of the Arab region in order to restore legitimacy and stability to brotherly Yemen, and prevent the threats represented by this group and those who support it regionally, and ensure the region's stability and territorial integrity. This was followed by Operation Restoring Hope, and relief and humanitarian aid programs for the brotherly Yemeni people through the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid, so that it could overcome its circumstances and conditions and regain its natural role regionally and internationally, and revive its homeland in an atmosphere of security and stability.<\/p>\n Since the beginning of the crisis, the Kingdom has been calling for a political solution in accordance with the Gulf Initiative, the outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue, and Security Council Resolution No. (2216).<\/p>\n The Kingdom\u2019s position on the Syrian crisis has been clear since its beginning. It seeks to preserve Syria as a unified homeland that brings together all sects of the Syrian people, and calls for a political solution that will bring Syria out of its crisis and enable the establishment of a transitional government from the moderate opposition forces, which guarantees the unity of the Syrians, and the withdrawal of foreign forces and terrorist organizations that would not have found fertile ground in Syria were it not for the policies of the Syrian regime that led to the extermination of hundreds of thousands of Syrians and the displacement of millions. Out of concern for achieving security, stability and justice in Syria, the Kingdom hosted a meeting of the Syrian opposition in all its spectrums and components in an effort to find a political solution that guarantees \u2013 God willing \u2013 the unity of Syrian lands in accordance with the Geneva resolutions (1).<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n During the past period, we have been keen to strengthen and develop our relations with many brotherly and friendly countries through the exchange of visits with many world leaders. We are continuing on this path in a way that enhances the Kingdom\u2019s position and its regional and international role. In this context, the Kingdom hosted the Fourth Summit of Arab and South American Countries, which culminated in the issuance of the Riyadh Declaration, which included an emphasis on the importance of the full implementation of the Security Council resolution related to the Yemeni crisis, and the rejection of any interference in the internal affairs of the countries of the region by external powers in violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of good neighborliness. It also stressed the importance of respecting the independence, unity and territorial integrity of countries and resolving disputes by peaceful means. The declaration also included recognition of the State of Palestine, in addition to a number of political and economic issues of interest to the Arab and South American countries.<\/p>\n The Kingdom also participated in the G20 summit hosted by the Republic of Turkey, confirming the prestigious and important position our country has reached on the map of the global economy. Through this summit, the Kingdom contributed to plans for developing economic relations between countries, overcoming obstacles and impediments, encouraging and supporting the flow of investments, exchanging experiences, transferring and localizing technology, and cooperating in all fields, in a way that benefits everyone.<\/p>\n In the context of continuous coordination with our brothers, the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the (36) session of the Supreme Council of the GCC was held in Riyadh on the 27th and 28th of Safar 1437 AH, during which we presented our vision to Their Majesties and Highnesses to enhance the joint Gulf action process, and it was approved by the Supreme Council and included in the Riyadh Declaration, and the decisions issued by this session covered various fields, hoping that this will achieve the hopes and aspirations of the peoples of our countries.<\/p>\n In the field of energy, the Kingdom continued to focus on the stability of the oil market by pursuing a balanced policy that takes into account the interests of producers and consumers, ensures market stability, and protects the interests of present and future generations. It is keen to continue exploration operations for oil, gas, and other natural resources in the Kingdom, and the prospects for our economy are promising, thanks be to God.<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Your country is keen to improve the performance of its agencies in order to meet the aspirations and hopes of its citizens in all fields. It is aware that it faces many challenges, but it is determined, God willing, to overcome them and provide a decent life for its citizens. We appreciate the work that the Shura Council is doing and the sound opinions it is providing on internal and external matters, and we look forward to the Council continuing to do so with all seriousness and effectiveness.<\/p>\n May God grant us all success in all that is good.<\/p>\n Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.<\/p>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reading time: <\/span> 7<\/span> Minutes<\/span><\/span>The Amlak Real Estate newspaper publishes the text of the speech delivered yesterday, Wednesday, by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may God protect him, during the opening of the fourth year of the sixth session of the Shura Council. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and upon his family and companions. It is my pleasure to open the proceedings of the fourth year of \u2026 Read more<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"0","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"amlak_video_sent":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-legislation-and-regulations"],"acf":{"amlak_post_excerpt":"","amlak_post_excerpt_source":{"label":"Amlak post excerpt","type":"text","formatted_value":""}},"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","trp-custom-language-flag":"","event-thumbnail":"","event-medium":"","event-large":"","event-hero":""},"author_info":{"info":["\u0627\u0645\u0644\u0627\u0643 \u0627\u0644\u0639\u0642\u0627\u0631\u064a\u0629"]},"category_info":"\u0627\u0644\u062a\u0634\u0631\u064a\u0639\u0627\u062a \u0648\u0627\u0644\u0623\u0646\u0638\u0645\u0629<\/a>","tag_info":"\u0627\u0644\u062a\u0634\u0631\u064a\u0639\u0627\u062a \u0648\u0627\u0644\u0623\u0646\u0638\u0645\u0629","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amlak.net.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amlak.net.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amlak.net.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amlak.net.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amlak.net.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/amlak.net.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8653\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amlak.net.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amlak.net.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amlak.net.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}