Draft law on precious metals and gemstones approved
His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani chaired the Cabinet’s weekly meeting yesterday at the Amiri Diwan. The Cabinet approved a draft law on precious metals and gemstones and referred it to the Shura Council. Prepared by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with the Qatar General Organisation for Standards and Metrology, the law will replace 1978 legislation and tighten oversight of the sector in line with international standards, protecting consumers and market participants. Ministers also approved a draft decision reorganising the Permanent Committee for the Registration of Pharmaceutical Companies and Their Products, replacing a 2000-era decision and updating the committee’s mandate to keep pace with modern registration practices. Briefing reporters after the meeting, HE the Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ibrahim bin Ali al-Mohannadi said the Cabinet also reiterated a string of foreign policy positions. Ministers condemned Houthi ballistic missile and drone attacks on civilian targets in the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif, which wounded a number of civilians and damaged homes and vehicles, calling the strikes a shameful and reckless aggression that breaches Saudi sovereignty and international law. They also condemned drone strikes launched from Iraq that targeted the East-West oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Medina regions, describing the attack on civilian and economic infrastructure as a dangerous escalation and reaffirming that Saudi Arabia’s security is inseparable from Qatar’s own and from the collective security of the GCC. A further condemnation was directed at renewed Iranian attacks on Jordan, which the Cabinet said flagrantly violated Jordanian sovereignty and territorial integrity, in breach of international law, the UN Charter and the principles of good-neighbourly relations. The Cabinet reviewed a Ministry of Education and Higher Education report on progress made in the first half of 2026 in implementing the National Framework for Promoting Values and Morals in Qatari Society, a Shura Council-driven initiative aimed at safeguarding national identity and social cohesion in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. It decided the ministry would continue overseeing implementation in coordination with relevant entities. The meeting closed with a review of Qatar Tourism’s 2025 annual report, along with outcomes of Qatar’s participation in the 114th International Labour Conference in Geneva in June and the first session of the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance, also in Geneva, in July.