RIYADH: The Shoura Council has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prepare an analysis on the Kingdom’s foreign policy in regional and global environments, pinpointing priorities as regards countries and issues.
The Shoura’s remarks came following comments from members on a report presented by the Committee of Foreign Affairs on the annual report of the Foreign Ministry during its second ordinary session of the second year on Tuesday.
The council also asked the ministry to support its missions in New York, Geneva, Brussels, and Vienna with highly qualified cadres in international relations, law and media. It also urged the ministry to develop its electronic gate and enrich it with key information on the Kingdom in English, French and Spanish.
In the same session, the council listened to a recommendation presented by the Committee on Transport, Communications and information Technology which urged the Saudi Ports Authority to expand electronic applications and technologies in its future projects, and to link with the concerned government agencies and private sector companies which are benefiting from port services.
Commenting on the committee’s recommendations, one member asked the Saudi Ports Authority to provide reasons on the rise of its spending and fall of revenues compared to figures of the previous year.
In another matter, the Health Committee presented a report on the performance of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) based on its annual report. The committee called on the SRCA to coordinate with the private sector in working out a joint work mechanism when providing emergency services. It also asked the SRCA to coordinate with the concerned bodies in adopting an effective mechanism to enter women-run firms and establishments in cases of emergency.
The Committee on Culture, Information, Tourism and Antiquities, among other recommendations, asked the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) to prepare a detailed operational plan of its programs and initiatives in collaboration with the ministries, government agencies and private sector in line with tourism objectives and goals set by Vision 2030.