SUSRIS serves as your chronicle of developments in the Saudi-US relationship, in the Kingdom and in the region. As part of our service we archive the daily news reviews produced by the Saudi-US Trade Group and selected press clippings and other resources. You can find these archives and more on the SUSRIS Resources menu, including timelines, glossary, experts and officials lists, multimedia recordings, documents, and more.
Today we provide for the record the June 22nd meeting of the Saudi cabinet chaired by King Salman, the first since the historic action to change the line of succession and to change key ministers.
Follow SUSRIS on Twitter @saudius
Follow Saudi-US Trade Group on Twitter @SUSTG
Subscribe to SUSRIS e-Newsletter [Link]
King Salman Chairs Cabinet’s Session – June 22, 2015
Jeddah, Ramadan 05, 1436, June 22, 2015, SPA — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the session held by the cabinet on Monday evening at the Salam Palace in Jeddah.
At the beginning of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques thanked leaders and officials of sisterly countries and all those who congratulated him on the holy month of Ramadan for their noble feelings and sincere prayers appealing to Allah Almighty to help Muslims all over the world to perform fasting and accept their good deeds.
Then, the king briefed the cabinet on the results of his talks with the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Memnon Hussein, and his reception of the Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlut Cavusolu.
In a statement by the Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Adel bin Zaid Al-Toraifi to Saudi Press Agency, the cabinet offered sincere congratulations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Crown Prince, the Deputy Crown Prince, the people of the kingdom and the Islamic and Arab peoples on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.
In this context, the cabinet recalled the speech by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the people of the Kingdom and Muslim brothers everywhere on the occasion of the holy month and which included calls to do good deeds such as fasting, praying and doing charity work and for Muslims to perfect one’s work and dealing with others decently and benevolently and assertion that Islam is the religion of love, compassion and tolerance; its message was revealed as a mercy to the people; its path is the path of goodness and construction; and its approach is that of moderation, dialogue and intimacy and that Islam unifies rather than separates and renounces violence and terrorism and that this holy month with its noble meanings does give us the commitment to abide by these noble ideals, values and objectives.
The Council of Ministers appreciated the king’s emphasis on moving to distance the kingdom and its citizens from sedition, unrest and sectarian tensions and the emphasis on total rejection of sectarian classification in realization of its risks to national cohesion. The council thanked the king for his assertion that confidence in Saudi citizens is limitless and that there will be no leniency with any negligence and holding accountable anyone breaching our security and religious and national firm principles.
The Council of Ministers, under a directive by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, listened to the results of the official visit by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, to the Republic of the Russian Federation and his meetings with President Vladimir Putin and senior officials in Russia as well as the signing of agreements, memoranda of understanding and executive programs, covering cooperation in the peaceful uses of atomic energy and space, military cooperation, housing, petroleum sector and investment, noting in this regard the strength of relations between the two countries and the desire to deepen their cooperation in all fields with the aim of serving the interests of the two friendly peoples and enhancing security and stability in the region.
Then, the cabinet reviewed a number of reports on the latest developments in the region and the world, welcoming the final communique by foreign ministers of member states of the OIC at the end of their extraordinary meeting on Yemen in Jeddah, and stressing the kingdom’s support for all efforts to end the Yemeni crisis and its utter rejection of any foreign intervention in Yemen’s affairs without a request from the legitimate government.
The Council of Ministers expressed kingdom’s sorrow for the end of the Geneva consultations on Yemen without reaching an agreement, and expressed appreciation for the efforts of the United Nations toward the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2216, and for efforts of the participating countries for the success of United Nations’ efforts, and for the positive cooperation shown by the legitimate government in Yemen with those efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.
Dr. Adel bin Zaid Al-Toraifi said that the Council of Ministers was briefed on the topics of its agenda, including topics that the Shura Council participated in their study, and the outcomes concluded by the General Committee and the Bureau of Experts regarding them, and the Council decided the following:
First:
The Council of Ministers approved the name of (Ministry of Education) instead of the names of (the Ministry of Higher Education) and (Ministry of Education) and the name of (Minister of Education) instead of the names of (the Minister of Higher Education) and (Minister of Education) wherever those names are mentioned in regulations, decrees, decisions, orders and instructions.
Second:
The Cabinet approved the appointment of Eng. Abdullah bin Fahd Al-Suwailem, Engineer Salah Bin Rashid Al-Rashid and Khaled bin Abdullah Al Bawardi as members of the High Commission for the Development of Riyadh for three years.
Third:
The Cabinet approved the appointment of Khalid bin Abdulla Al Zamil and Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Afaleq as two members of the Board of the Supreme Commission for the development of the eastern region for three years.
Fourth:
The Council of Ministers authorized the Minister of Finance – or his deputy – to sign a draft agreement on the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and then submit the final signed version for completion of legal procedures.
Fifth:
After reviewing a report submitted by Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Saudi Fund for Development, the Council of Ministers decided the following:
1- Renewal of the membership of Saleh bin Abdullah Al-Awad of the board of directors of the Saudi Fund for Development for three years.
2- Appointment of Prince Khalid bin Saud bin Khalid Al Saud, Dr. Moaid bin Isa Al-Qurtas and Engineer Omar bin Ahmed Ba-halioh as members of the board of directors of the Saudi Fund for Development for three years.
Sixth:
The Cabinet approved adding a representative of the Ministry of Water and electricity to the membership of the National Committee on Streamlining the Works of Operation, Maintenance and Standardization, which was set up under paragraph (1) of Article Two of the committee’s organization approved by the cabinet decision No. (200) dated on 04/07/1432 H.
Seventh:
After reviewing a report submitted by the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, the Council of Ministers approved the formation of the Board of Directors of Al-Maqar Company for Development chaired by the Mayor of Madinah Region and the membership of:
1- Yousef Bin Saleh Al-Saif representative of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs as a member
2- Wahib Bin Mohammed Al-Sahli representative of the Governorate of Madinah as a member
3- Mr. Mohammed bin Ahmed al-Haidari representative of the Ministry of Finance as a member
4- Engineer Saleh Bin Ibrahim Al-Rasheed representative of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as a member
5- Engineer Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al-Zumaia representative of the Ministry of Housing as a member
6- Dr. Talal bin Abdul Rahman Al-Radadi representative of Madianh Development Authority as a member
7- Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Ibrahim Al-Husin
8- Yousef Bin Abdulsattar Maimani
9- Dr. Khalid bin Abdullah Al-Dugheithir
10- Engineer Iyad bin Abdulrahman Al-bunian
11- Mr. Ziad Bin Ahmed Tunisian as members from the private sector.
Eighth:
After considering of Shura Council resolution No. (40/25) dated on 10/06/1436 H., the cabinet decided to approve the memorandum of understanding regarding the political consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, signed in the city of Jeddah on 23 / 5/1435 H.
A royal decree has been prepared in this regard.
Ninth:
The cabinet approved a number of appointments at 15th and 14th ranks, as follows:
1- Appointment of Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Sulaiman Al Hagail to the post of security consultant (rank 15) at the Interior Ministry.
2- Appointment of Dr. Tariq bin Abdullah bin Hassan Al Naem to the post of undersecretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry for internal trade (rank 15) at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
3- Appointment of Dr. Mohammed Bin Talal Bin Abdullah Semsem to the post of Undersecretary for Planning and Development (rank 15) at the Ministry of Hajj.
4- Appointment of Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Shabanat to the post of legal expert A (rank 15) at the Experts Commission of the Cabinet .
5- Appointment of Mohammed bin Abdul Malik bin Abdullah bin Dhaish to the post of legal expert B (rank 14) at the Experts Commission of the Cabinet.
6- Appointment of Abdulaziz bin Fahd bin Zaid bin Saeed to the post of Director General of Asir branch of the General Presidency for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (rank 14).
The cabinet was briefed on the two annual reports of the Ministry of Labor and the General Civil Aviation Authority for the fiscal year (1434/1435 H). The cabinet was also briefed on a report of the Ministry of Justice regarding cooperation in the legal field between the GCC and the United Kingdom and the proposed mechanism to be implemented. The council took note of it and took a number of directions in this regard.
–SPA
Officials of the Government of Saudi Arabia
Source: Saudi Press Agency, SUSRIS.com
Based on the January 2015 Royal Orders Restructuring with Updates
King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Premier, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
1- Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud [Replacing Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud] Crown Prince, Deputy Premier. [As of April 29, 2015] Retains post as Minister of Interior.
2- Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud [Replacing Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud], Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Premier [As of April 29, 2015] Retains post as Minister of Defense.
3- Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir [Replacing Prince Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud], Minister of Foreign Affairs. [As of April 29, 2015]
4- Prince Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of State, Cabinet’s Member, Adviser and Special Envoy to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Supervisor of Foreign Affairs. [As of April 29, 2015]
5- Prince Mansour bin Miteb bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of State, Member of the Council of Ministers, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
6- Prince Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of National Guard.
7- Sheikh Saleh bin Abdulaziz bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance.
8- Dr. Walid bin Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Samaani, Minister of Justice.
9- Dr. Matlab bin Abdullah Al-Nafisah, Minister of State, Member of the Council of Ministers.
10- Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, Minister of State, Member of the Council of Ministers.
11- Eng. Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.
12- Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf, Minister of Finance.
13- Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Husayyn, Minister of Water and Electricity.
14- Dr. Mufrej bin Saad Al-Haqbani [Replacing Eng. Adel bin Mohammed bin Abdulqadir Faqih] Minister of Labor. [As of April 29, 2015]
15- Essam bin Saad bin Saeed, Minister of Housing. (Replaced Shwaish bin Saud Dhwaihi, Mar 11, 2015)
16- Dr. Bandar bin Mohammed bin Hamza Asaad Hajjar, Minister of Hajj.
17- Eng. Adel bin Mohammed bin Abdulqadir Faqih [Replacing Dr. Mohammed bin Suleiman bin Mohammed Al-Jasser] Minister of Economy and Planning. [As of April 29, 2015]
18- Dr. Mohammed bin Suleiman bin Mohammed Al-Jasser, Adviser at the Royal Court at the rank of Minister. [As of April 29, 2015]
19- Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan bin Mohammed Al-Rabiah, Minister of Commerce and Industry.
20- Mohammed bin Faisal bin Jaber Abu Saq, Minister of State, Member of the Council of Ministers for Shoura Council Affairs.
21- Dr. Essam bin Saad bin Said, Minister of State, Member of the Council of Ministers.
22- Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Muqbel, Minister of Transport.
23- Dr. Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al-Suwaiyel, Minister of Communications and Information Technology.
24- Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qusaibi, Minister of Social Affairs.
25- Dr. Saad bin Khalid bin Saadallah Al-Jabri, Minister of State, Member of the Council of Ministers.
26- Mohammed bin Abdulmalik bin Abdullah Al Al-Sheikh, Minister of State, Member of the Council of Ministers.
27- Eng. Abdullatif bin Abdulmalik bin Omar Al Al-Sheikh, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs.
28- Engineer Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Faleh [Replacing Mohammed bin Abdulmalik bin Abdullah Al Al-Sheikh, ACTING Minister of Health, who replaced Ahmed bin Aqeel Al-Khatib by Royal Order on Apr 11, 2015] as Minister of Health [As of April 29, 2015]
29- Khalid bin Abdullah Al-Araj, Minister of Civil Service.
30- Dr. Adel bin Zaid Al-Turaifi, Minister of Culture and Information.
31- Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhli, Minister of Agriculture.
32- Dr. Azzam bin Mohammed Al-Dakhil, Minister of Education.
33- Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem to the post of Chief of Royal Court at Minister’s Rank. [As of April 29, 2015]
34- Khalid bin Abdulrahman Al-Essa, the Minister of State and Cabinet’s Member, to the post as Member at the Council of Political and Security Affairs. [As of April 29, 2015]
35- Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed bin Nasser Al-Yousef to the post as Chairman of Board of Grievances at Minister’s Rank. [As of April 29, 2015]
36- Dr. Nasser bin Rajeh bin Mohammed Al-Shahrani to the post of Deputy President of Human Rights Commission at Excellent Rank. [As of April 29, 2015]
37- Appointing of Dr. Amro bin Ibrahim Rajab to the post of Deputy Chief of the Cabinet’s Bureau of Experts at Excellent Rank. [As of April 29, 2015]
38- Appointing of Dr. Mansour bin Abdullah Al-Mansour to the post of Assistant General President of Youth Welfare at Excellent Rank. [As of April 29, 2015]
39- Assigning Dr. Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Jasser, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information to act as President of Radio and Television Commission in addition to his post. [As of April 29, 2015]
40 – Appointing Saleh bin Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Jasser to the post as Adviser at the Royal Court at Excellent Rank. [As of April 29, 2015]
41 – Appointing Prince Mansour bin Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to the post of Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques at the Rank of Minister. [As of April 29, 2015]
The Cabinet of Saudi Arabia as of January 29, 2015. (SPA)
OFFICIALS BY POSITION
CABINET MINISTERS & SENIOR OFFICIALS (as of April 29, 2015)
King — King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Prime Minister — King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Deputy Prime Minister — Prince Mohammed bin Naif [Nayef] bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Crown Prince)
Second Deputy Prime Minister — Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Deputy Crown Prince)
Minister of Agriculture — Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhli
Minister of Civil Service — Khalid bin Abdullah Al-Araj
Ministry of Commerce and Industry — Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan bin Mohammed Al-Rabiah
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology — Dr. Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al-Suwaiyel
Ministry of Culture and Information — Dr. Adel bin Zaid Al-Turaifi
Minister of Defense — Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Minister of Economy and Planning — Eng. Adel bin Mohammed bin Abdulqadir Faqih
Minister of Education — Dr. Azzam bin Mohammed Al-Dakhil
Minister of Finance — Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf
Minister of Foreign Affairs — Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir
Minister of Health — Engineer Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Faleh
Minister of Housing — Essam bin Saad bin Saeed, Minister of Housing
Minister of Interior — Prince Mohammed bin Naif [Nayef] bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Minister for Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Call & Guidance — Sheikh Saleh bin Abdulaziz bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh
Minister of Justice — Dr. Walid bin Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Samaani
Minister of Labor — Dr. Mufrej bin Saad Al-Haqbani
Minister of Municipal & Rural Affairs — Eng. Abdullatif bin Abdulmalik bin Omar Al Al-Sheikh
Minister of the National Guard — Prince Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Minister of Petroleum & Mineral Resources — Eng. Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi
Minister of Pilgrimage Affairs [Hajj] & Religious Trusts — Dr. Bandar bin Mohammed bin Hamza Asaad Hajjar
Minister of Social Affairs — Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qusaibi
Minister of Transport — Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Muqbel
Minister of Water & Electricity — Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Husayyn
Minister of State — Prince Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Cabinet Member, Adviser and Special Envoy to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Supervisor of Foreign Affairs.
Minister of State — Prince Mansour bin Miteb bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Member of the Council of Ministers, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
Minister of State — Dr. Matlab bin Abdullah Al-Nafisah, Member of the Council of Ministers
Minister of State — Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, Member of the Council of Ministers
Minister of State — Mohammed bin Faisal bin Jaber Abu Saq, Member of the Council of Ministers for Shoura Council Affairs
Minister of State — Dr. Essam bin Saad bin Said, Member of the Council of Ministers
Minister of State — Dr. Saad bin Khalid bin Saadallah Al-Jabri, Member of the Council of Ministers
Minister of State — Mohammed bin Abdulmalik bin Abdullah Al Al-Sheikh, Member of the Council of Ministers
Minister of State — Khalid bin Abdulrahman Al-Essa
Chairman, Supreme Ulama Council — Abd al-Aziz bin Abdallah AL Al-Shaykh
Governor Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency — Fahd bin Abdallah al-Mubarak
Ambassador to the United States — (Vacant)
Permanent Representative to the UN, New York — Abdallah bin Yahya al-Muallami
Chief of Royal Court — Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem
Adviser at the Royal Court — Dr. Mohammed bin Suleiman bin Mohammed Al-Jasser
Source: Saudi Press Agency, World Factbook, SUSRIS.com
Read more on this topic:
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Jun 15 – SUSRIS – Jun 15, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Jun 8 – SUSRIS – Jun 8, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Jun 1 – SUSRIS – Jun 1, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – May 25 – SUSRIS – May 25, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – May 18 – SUSRIS – May 18, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – May 11 – SUSRIS – May 11, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – May 4 – SUSRIS – May 4, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Apr 27 – SUSRIS – Apr 27, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Apr 20 – SUSRIS – Apr 20, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Apr 13 – SUSRIS – Apr 13, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Apr 6 – SUSRIS – Apr 6, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Mar 30 – SUSRIS – Mar 30, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Mar 23 – SUSRIS – Mar 23, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Mar 16 – SUSRIS – Mar 16, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Mar 9th – SUSRIS – Mar 9, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Mar 2nd – SUSRIS – Mar 2, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Feb 23rd – SUSRIS – Feb 23, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Feb 16th – SUSRIS – Feb 16, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Feb 9th – SUSRIS – Feb 9, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Feb 2nd – SUSRIS – Feb 2, 2015
King Salman Restructures Government – SUSRIS – Jan 29, 2015
For the Record | New Saudi Leadership Named – SUSRIS – Jan 23, 2015
For the Record | Saudi Cabinet Session – Jan 19th – SUSRIS – Jan 19, 2015
Saudi Arabia’s new Cabinet ministers must lead from the front – Al Arabiya – Dec 16, 2014
Commentary | New Cabinet Ministers Must Lead from the Front – SUSRIS – Dec 17, 2014
Saudi Cabinet “Mini-Shuffle” – Special Report – SUSRIS – Dec 13, 2011