King to deliver annual speech at Shoura on Wednesday

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman will deliver a key policy-making address to the Shoura Council on Dec. 23 (Rabiul Awwal 12).
He is expected to focus on the Kingdom’s internal and external policies.
The announcement was made on Saturday by Shoura Council Speaker Dr. Abdullah Al-Asheikh.
Al-Asheikh expressed happiness that King Salman would speak to the council. 
He said that the king would highlight the main issues of the Kingdom’s domestic developmental strategy, covering all economic, social and cultural aspects of life as well as major political issues in the regional and international arenas. 

He will set out the Kingdom’s position on those issues.
He said the king’s address to the Shoura is further evidence of the council’s importance in its capacity as one of the country’s major institutions. 
“It enjoys the care and interest of the leadership and is expected to contribute to achieving the aspirations of the leadership, government and people of the Kingdom,” he said.
Al-Asheikh said that the contents of the king’s speech would also draw a road map for the Shoura Council and its members who will use it as a guide as they study national issues. 

“The aim is to make prudent decisions that will contribute to improving the performance of state agencies and institutions, and promote their plans and programs to match the new developments and changes of the times,” he said.
The speaker recalled that the Shoura Council has made great strides, issuing a number of key decisions in several fields, and forwarding them to King Salman. 
Some of them were issued as decisions by the Council of Ministers. 
He cited the most-recent vacant land fee system as an example. 
The Shoura Council’s Haj, housing and services sub-committees have, in particular, exerted strenuous efforts to discuss the bill and finish its study in a timely manner as directed by King Salman. 
The Shoura Council issued more than 116 decisions last year.

They include the imposition of fees on undeveloped land in urban areas, the amendment of Articles 4 and 5 of the Health System to include the women’s health program, the amendment regulating service offered to domestic pilgrims and visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque from outside the Kingdom, pilgrims’ transport system from and back to their home countries, preventing non-Saudis from dealing with pilgrims, housing for Umrah pilgrims and visitors, amendments on the competitiveness system, audiovisual media system, amendment to Article 6 of combating information crimes, in addition to a number of international regulations, treaties, agreements and annual reports of governmental agencies as well as discussions on the Kingdom’s 9th Development Plan.
Al-Asheikh attributed the success of Shoura over the past year to the grace of God Almighty, first, and then, to the instructions and support of the prudent leadership as well as the cooperation voiced and brought to reality by ministers and officials of the government, vowing to continue the methodology of consulting with officials and ordinary citizens by allowing them to attend debates or sharing views on social media.

He expressed thanks and gratitude to King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their support and interest in the Shoura Council in their capacity as the government’s right hand in achieving and planning reforms and developments currently occurring in the Kingdom.
Al-Asheikh appealed to God Almighty to grant success to the leadership of the country for the benefit of its people and bestow permanent stability and security on it and protect it from any harm.