RIYADH — The Council of Ministers congratulated Saudi citizens and Muslims around the world on the advent of the holy month of Ramadan.The Cabinet session, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday, expressed gratitude to God Almighty for the honor bestowed to Saudi Arabia in caring for the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said that the Cabinet highlighted the success of the Hajj and Umrah seasons, noting that the Kingdom welcomed 19.5 million foreign Hajj and Umrah pilgrims in 2025. “This sets new records that reflect rapid progress toward the goals of Vision 2030 and the Pilgrim Experience Program,” he said. The Cabinet described the Kingdom's Founding Day celebration on Sunday, February 22, as an expression of pride in the Saudi state's historical depth spanning over nearly three centuries. It emphasized the foundations of justice, unity, and development established by leaders and citizens throughout history to ensure the nation remains a global leader across all fields. Al-Dossary said that the Cabinet was briefed on recent talks between Saudi Arabia and various nations, which focused on strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation and enhancing coordination to foster regional and international security, stability, and prosperity. Regarding regional developments, the Cabinet condemned the Israeli occupation authorities' decision to designate West Bank lands as "state land." Reiterating its absolute rejection of these illegal measures, the Cabinet stated they undermine peace efforts and violate the Palestinian people's inherent right to establish an independent, sovereign state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The session further reviewed the Kingdom's economic, cultural, and social activities, emphasizing the state's commitment to social solidarity and giving. This includes continued support for the sixth National Campaign for Charitable Work, set to begin this Friday. The Cabinet commended the success of the third World Defense Show held in Riyadh, under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, during which strategic partnerships, agreements, and memoranda of understanding were signed to localize military technologies and strengthen local supply chains in alignment with Vision 2030 objectives.The Cabinet approved the national strategy for biosecurity and safety. It approved the regulations for the retention of vehicles registered in one of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in Saudi Arabia. The Cabinet amended the charter of the Esports World Cup Foundation to rename it the Esports Foundation.The Council authorized the chairman of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City or his deputy to discuss and sign a draft cooperation memorandum with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in the field of urban management and development, and authorized the minister of culture and chairman of the board of trustees of the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts or his deputy to discuss and sign a draft cooperation memorandum with Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties in the field of traditional arts.The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation between the Saudi Ministry of Justice and the Italian Ministry of Justice.The Council authorized the minister of environment, water and agriculture or his deputy to discuss and sign a draft MoU with the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture for cooperation in areas related to palm and date cultivation, and authorized the minister of media or his deputy to discuss and sign a draft cooperation memorandum with the Bahraini National Communication Centre in the field of government communication.The Cabinet authorized the minister of communications and information technology and chairman of the board of directors of the Digital Government Authority or his deputy to discuss and sign a draft MoU for cooperation in the field of digital government between the authority and the Algerian High Commission for Digitization. The Council authorized the minister of health and chairman of the board of directors of the Public Health Authority or his deputy to discuss and sign a draft MoU between the authority and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the field of health security, disease prevention, and control. It approved a MoU between the General Department of Financial Investigation at the Presidency of State Security in Saudi Arabia and China Anti-Money Laundering Monitoring and Analysis Center for cooperation in the exchange of financial investigations related to money laundering, terrorism financing, and associated crimes. The Cabinet also authorized the president of the General Court of Audit or his deputy to discuss and sign a draft MoU with the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts for cooperation in the field of accounting, auditing, and professional work.