Saudi king says the kingdom will remain a Strong Fortress

  Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired the Cabinet’s session at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Tuesday at which he said that the Kingdom will remain a ‘strong fortress’ in which growth and development continue. King Salman expressed his pride in the Kingdom celebrating its 87th National Day with development and growth ongoing in all fields and with citizens and residents enjoying security and prosperity, said the Saudi state-owned media outlet SPA. The King expressed his thanks and appreciation to leaders and officials of countries that relayed their good thought and congratulations to the Kingdom on this occasion, and to citizens in all regions of the Kingdom for their congratulations, manifestations of joy and celebrations of this anniversary, which embodied the national unity and people’s cohesion, love and loyalty to their homeland. King Salman briefed cabinet members on the contents of a telephone call he had with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Republic of Turkey, during which they reviewed bilateral relations, latest developments in the region and the world, and the emphasis on the depth of strategic relations between the two countries and their enhancement, and the outcome of his meeting with former President of Republic of Turkey Abdullah Gul, during which they exchanged friendly talks on a number of issues of common concern. Culture and Information Minister Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad, in a statement to SPA, following the national cabinet session Cabinet forwarded congratulations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Defense Minister, on the occasion of the 87th anniversary of the National Day of the Kingdom. Cabinet members reviewed a number of reports on developments at the international arena, appreciating the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid to allocate $15 million worth of assistance to help alleviate the sufferings of the Rohingyas displaced from Myanmar due to genocide and torture, considering the gesture an extension of the previous relief aid which the King directed to help the displaced people of Myanmar to provide them with all kinds of relief and humanitarian support. On the domestic level, the Council of Ministers expressed satisfaction with the contents of the 53rd annual report of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), which reviewed the economic and financial developments in the Kingdom during 2016, pointing that the national economy achieved has produced a positive growth rate of 1.7 per cent, the financial sector, including its various components, delivered statistical and positive indicators in 2016 that reaffirm the strength of the financial and banking sector in the Kingdom.