King praised for directive to hike Haj quota

The Council of Ministers on Monday lauded the directive of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to lift from this year the cuts in the quota of both domestic and foreign pilgrims imposed five years ago.

The Cabinet said that the King’s directive shows his care for Muslims and his efforts to provide the best services to pilgrims and visitors to the Two Holy Mosques.

The authorities had imposed a 20 percent reduction in the quota for foreign pilgrims coming from each country and 50 percent reduction in quota for domestic pilgrims in view of the expansion work at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

Chairing the Cabinet session at Al-Yamama Palace in Riyadh, King Salman spoke about the outcome of his talks with President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger and his meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway Borge Brende.

The Cabinet commended the achievements of security agencies in monitoring and fighting terrorism, defending borders, defeating aggressors and thwarting any attempt to target the country’s security and stability.

The Cabinet also approved splitting the Agency for Mosques, Call and Guidance Affairs which comes under the Ministry of Islamic Affairs into Mosques Affairs Agency and Agency for Call and Guidance Affairs.