Riyadh: The Council of Ministers on Monday noted that the recent visits of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam were instrumental in deepening relations between the Kingdom and these countries in various fields as well as in emboldening the determination to confront the scourge of terrorism and other challenges facing the Muslim Nation and the world as a whole.

Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, chaired the weekly session of the Cabinet at Al-Yamama Palace in Riyadh.
Pinning great hope on the forthcoming visit of the King to China and Japan, the Cabinet approved the signing of memoranda of understanding with China for cooperation in Beijing’s ambitious lunar mission as well as with Japan in the fields of sports, desalination and industrial revolution.

Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and Acting Minister of Culture and Information Abdurahman Al-Fadli said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session that the Cabinet authorized president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) to discuss and sign with the China National Space Administration an MoU to cooperate in the next major lunar mission called ‘The Chang’e-4 probe’.

China announced earlier that Chang’e-4 probe, the second lunar mission, will be carried out with private investment before 2020. The mission, the first such probe in history, will explore the far side of the moon, a mysterious world, that always faces away from Earth.

The Cabinet also authorized KACST president to discuss and sign a memorandum for cooperation with Japan in science and technology, and another one for industrial cooperation.

The president of the General Authority of Sports has been tasked with discussing and signing a draft protocol attached to the memorandum of cooperation signed between the authority and the Japanese ministry of education, culture, sports, sciences and technology in the field of sports signed in 2015.

The Cabinet also authorized the minister of environment, water and agriculture to discuss and sign an MoU with the Japanese ministry of economy, commerce and industry for cooperation in the desalination field.

Al-Fadli said the Cabinet authorized minister of education to discuss and sign a memorandum for cooperation in science and technology with the ministry of education of the Maldives.

King Salman will visit the Indian Ocean island nation of Maldives after his visits to Japan and China.

At outset of the session, the Crown Prince highlighted the success of the official talks held by King Salman with leaders of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

“The fruitful talks and signing of pacts showed the depth of relations between the Kingdom and these countries, as well as the keenness of both sides in further bolstering bilateral ties in various fields,” the Cabinet said.