Saudi Arabia to become SCO dialogue partner

Riyadh: The cabinet of Saudi Arabia’s government has approved a memorandum granting the country the status of a dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, according to Saudi Gazette, citing Saudi Press Agency.
The Cabinet, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman at Al-Salam Palace on Tuesday, approved the cooperation agreement between the Presidency of State Security in the Kingdom and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in India for combating terrorist crimes and its financing.
According to the Saudi Gazette, the cabinet has amended article 4 of the provisions regulating the National Tobacco Control Committee to, “The committee shall have a secretariat based in the Public Health Authority in Riyadh.” At the beginning of the session, the Cabinet reviewed the details of telephone conversations between the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman and the president of the Republic of France, the prime minister of the Republic of Iraq and the president of the People’s Republic of China.
The discussions centred around relations, areas of partnership, and opportunities to strengthen cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reported Saudi Gazette.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, Minister of Media Salman Bin Yousef Al-Dosari said that the Cabinet also reviewed the outcomes of the 155th Session of the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and discussed the developments in joint Gulf action and political issues in the regional and international arenas.