RIYADH: King Salman chaired a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday to review plans for this year’s Saudi Founding Day celebrations in Riyadh on Sunday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The annual event, which falls on Feb. 22, commemorates the history of the Saudi state and its values of justice, cohesion and development established over nearly three centuries.

The meeting also acknowledged the start of the holy month of Ramadan, on Tuesday evening, and the continued success of the Hajj and Umrah seasons, which saw 19.5 million foreign pilgrims visiting the Kingdom last year, reflecting the progress toward the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

Minister of Information Salman Al-Dossari said after the meeting that the Cabinet was also briefed on the recent discussions between Saudi Arabia and other countries aimed at strengthening cooperation and enhancing security, stability, development and prosperity at both the regional and international level.

The ministers also condemned Israel’s decision to convert West Bank land into what it calls “state property” and reiterated their rejection of these illegal measures.

The meeting reviewed developments in the economic, cultural and social sectors and  expressed the nation’s continued support for the National Campaign for Charitable Work, the sixth edition of which will be held on Friday.

The ministers praised the success of the latest World Defense Show held in Riyadh last week, at which several agreements and strategic partnerships were reached to localize technologies, develop military industries and strengthen local supply chains in line with Vision 2030.

The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding between the General Directorate of Financial Investigations and the Anti-Money Laundering Monitoring and Analysis Center of the People’s Bank of China to enhance cooperation on financial investigations related to money laundering, terrorist financing and related crimes.

It also approved the National Strategy for Biosafety and Security, endorsed regulations governing the continued presence of vehicles registered in Gulf Cooperation Council states within Saudi Arabia and approved amendments to the basic statute of the World Esports Cup Foundation, which will be renamed the Esports Foundation.