Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman

In his annual speech at the opening ceremony of the Shoura Council, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman said the government would not allow terrorist organizations, or supporters of such groups, “to take advantage of our people and achieve dubious objectives in our country or in the Arab and Islamic worlds.”

He added: “Despite the fact that the Arab region suffers from tragedies, killing and displacement, I am optimistic for a better tomorrow, God willing.”

The king stressed that Saudi Arabia would continue to cooperate with the international community to achieve global peace, and enhance interaction with other countries to strengthen tolerance and coexistence.

He also stressed that political solutions to international crises are the best option if governments wish to meet the aspirations of the people to have peace and achieve development.

Acknowledging that the economic restructuring measures adopted in response to the sharp drop in oil prices were painful, King Salman said they were necessary to avoid long-term damage to the country.

“The state has sought to deal with these changes through a variety of measures to restructure the economy, some of which may be painful in the short run but ultimately aim to protect the economy of your country from worse problems,” he said.

He added that the country passed through similar circumstances, “forcing the state to cut its expenses, but it emerged from them with a strong economy and continuous and increasing growth.”

He said: “During the last three decades we faced those conditions with economic measures and structural reforms whereby we redistributed resources in fair manner that provides an opportunity for economic growth and job creation. The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 comes in this context in order to raise the performance of state institutions … and to achieve a decent living for our children.”

Regarding Yemen, King Salman said: “We, in Saudi Arabia, believe that the security of neighboring Yemen is the security of the Kingdom, and will not accept any interference in its internal affairs or that it become a base or a point of passage for whatever state or party to menace the security or the stability of the Kingdom and of the region.”

He expressed hope that the UN efforts to reach a political solution in Yemen, according to UN Security Council Resolution 2216, the Gulf initiative and the results of the national dialogue conference, will be successful.

On the country’s foreign policy, the king said: “We will continue cooperating with the international community to achieve world peace, and promote interaction with nations to consolidate the values of tolerance and coexistence.”

Opening the Shoura Council session, King Salman asked “God Almighty to guide us to serve religion, the homeland and the citizens,” adding that today the country is “adapting to the new developments and dealing with the challenges with a solid will to maintain the achievements and the position of the Kingdom among nations, in addition to its active role regionally and internationally.”

“Your state is the state of Islam, the sound religion that descended on the Prophet of humanity, Muhammad (peace be upon him), the religion of moderation and tolerance. We work with it and we seek to apply it according to what it was during the days of the Messenger of Allah and Caliphs after him (God bless them). He is our example. We will face all those who call for the extremism and fanaticism,” knowing that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “O people, beware of extremism in religion for those who came before you were only destroyed because of extremism”, King Salman added.

The country’s domestic policy is to maintain security and achieve stability and prosperity in our country, to diversify sources of income and raise the productivity of the citizens in order to achieve development and meet the needs of the present and future generations, said the king.

King Salman stressed that international crises can only be solved through political solutions that meet the aspirations of the people to live in peace and open the way for achieving development.

“The first Saudi state was established 300 years ago, followed by the second and then the third, nearly a hundred years ago, by King Abdulaziz (may God have mercy on him). It experienced difficult circumstances and challenges, but it always emerged stronger thanks to the grace of God and the hard determination of its people,” said the king.

The current circumstances are not more difficult than those experienced before, said the king, expressing optimism in the future and vowing not to allow terrorist organizations or those supporting them “to take advantage of our people to achieve dubious objectives in our country or in the Arab and Islamic worlds.”

Addressing Shoura members, the king said: “Your esteemed council has a great responsibility toward the nation. I ask you all to put the interests of the homeland and citizens above all, to hold consultations with officials who must cooperate with the council and provide it with all the information it needs. I wish you success in your work.”

The king was received at the Shoura Council by Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar, Minister of National Guard Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Adviser to the minister of the interior Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saud bin Naif, and chairman of Shoura Council Sheikh Abdullah Al-Asheikh.

Al-Asheikh welcomed the King saying: “With feelings of joy and pleasure, and amid renewed hopes for a bright future, the Shoura Council is honored today to start a new phase in its life, under your auspices, God bless you, working to contribute to the development process under your precious guidance and sound instructions.”

The Shoura Council chairman reviewed the work done by the Council over the last year, including the issuing of draft laws, regulations, conventions, reports and plans, adding that during the last 66 sessions, 186 decisions were taken.

Of these, 20 concerned rules and regulations, 67 were related to annual reports and 85 concerned agreements and memorandums of understanding.

Al-Asheikh pointed out that the council worked to keep pace with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in an effort to achieve its comprehensive development goals.

To that end, the council amended and updated its specialized committees to make them compatible with the ambitious vision.

The Shoura chief also said that the council was keen to continue its diplomatic and parliamentary work that, over the past years, succeeded in consolidating relations with similar councils in friendly countries, as well as with regional and international organizations.

The council also participated in various parliamentary forums and worked through several channels to stress the seriousness of the JASTA Act issued by the US Congress, which is incompatible with international law, particularly the principle of sovereign immunity enjoyed by all states, said Al-Asheikh.

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