King assured of all preparations to serve pilgrims

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman was assured about preparations made by various sectors to serve Umrah pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Council of Ministers, chaired by King Salman at Al-Salam Palace here on Monday, stressed the Kingdom’s keenness to provide the best services to visitors of the Two Holy Mosques.

The Cabinet directed all authorities concerned to intensify efforts to create a serene atmosphere for visitors to the Two Holy Mosques. It expressed its thanks to the King for his attention to the expansion of the Two Holy Mosques and the holy sites for the comfort of pilgrims and visitors.

The Cabinet said that the patronage of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, of the 16th Scholarly Forum for Research of Haj, Umrah and Visit shows his keenness to use all potential, efforts and services for the safety and comfort of pilgrims and visitors and to further develop the system of Haj and Umrah.

The Cabinet welcomed the joint statement issued at the conclusion of the 4th joint ministerial meeting for strategic dialogue among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and Russia, and the joint statement for the 2nd strategic dialogue between GCC foreign ministers and the foreign minister of Canada as well as the results of the joint meeting of GCC foreign ministers and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

The Cabinet commended the results of the 139th session of the GCC Ministerial Council, the decisions issued by the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Arab Foreign Ministers, and Arab Information Ministers Council’s adoption of Al-Quds as “The Capital of Arab Media” in a confirmation of its special status in the Arab and Muslim world.

King Salman welcomed the leaders of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states for their 16th consultative meeting and briefed the Cabinet on the results of his meeting with the British foreign secretary.

The Cabinet confirmed that the King’s patronage of the ceremony of King Abdulaziz University on the occasion of its 50th anniversary shows the care of the leaders of this blessed country for science and scientists as it is the basis of development and progress.

The Cabinet expressed its thanks and appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for the issuance of his approval to exempt farmers of Arabian Shield areas from the repayment of the loans of Agricultural Development Fund because of the drought.