HRH the Crown Prince Chairs Cabinet Session in Riyadh

His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chaired the Cabinet session held today in Riyadh.
 HRH the Crown Prince briefed the Cabinet on the contents of two letters received by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and HRH the Crown Prince from President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
 HRH the Crown Prince also briefed the Cabinet on his meeting with President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron and the outcomes of his official talks with Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which underscored the strength of the historic relations between the two countries and their shared commitment to enhancing cooperation across various fields.
 The Cabinet then discussed the content of talks held between states party to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement and senior officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Cabinet reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's commitment to establishing regional and international security and stability, the pivotal role of the Makkah Agreement states in ensuring regional security, and the Kingdom's support for mediation efforts by the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to de-escalate tensions, as well as for all endeavors aimed at achieving peace.
 In his statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said the Cabinet commended the advanced capabilities of the air defense systems and their success in thwarting the Houthi terrorist militia's repeated attempts to target Makkah, Madinah, and a number of Saudi cities and facilities. The Cabinet condemned these criminal attacks as a grave aggression against the Kingdom's sovereignty and the sanctity of Islamic holy sites, and a flagrant provocation to Muslims worldwide, affirming the Kingdom's legitimate right to defend with full resolve the security of the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors, as well as the country's citizens and residents.
 The Cabinet commended the increase in localization rate of military spending in the Kingdom, which reached 27.3% by the end of 2025, surpassing the annual target of 24%, with local content rising to 40.9%. This reflects robust national capabilities and supports integrated public-private efforts, advancing steadily toward the goal of localizing more than 50% of total military spending by 2030.
 The Cabinet further reviewed several government performance indicators and progress in administration, governance, and institutional excellence. It commended the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development for winning an international award from the Project Management Institute, outperforming 53 entities from 28 countries, in recognition of its contribution to enhancing the effectiveness of initiative implementation, achieving targets, and aligning them with national priorities.
 The Cabinet addressed other items on its agenda and issued several decisions, including the following:
 First:
 Approving a model agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and governments of other countries on the exemption of holders of diplomatic, special, or similar passports from entry visa requirements, and authorizing the minister of foreign affairs, or a deputy, to discuss and sign the draft agreement with the governments, based on this model.
 Second:
 Approving a memorandum of understanding for municipal and housing sectors between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Republic of Türkiye.
 Third:
 Approving an agreement for cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters between the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the Republic of India.
 Fourth:
 Approving a memorandum of understanding for the municipal and housing sectors between the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Public Works and Housing of the Syrian Arab Republic.
 Fifth:
 Approving a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in nuclear safety, nuclear security, and radiation protection between the Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
 Sixth:
 Authorizing the minister of communications and information technology and chairman of the board of directors of the Digital Government Authority, or a deputy, to discuss a draft memorandum of understanding on cooperation in digital government between the authority and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea.
 Seventh:
 Approving a cooperation agreement in combating terrorism and its financing between the Presidency of State Security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the National Security Intelligence of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.