The Cabinet has condemned the latest Houthi ballistic missile attacks on Saudi Arabia as a blatant violation of Saudi sovereignty and international law, pledging full solidarity with Riyadh and stressing that Saudi security is inseparable from Qatar’s own. The condemnation came at the Cabinet’s regular meeting Wednesday at the Amiri Diwan, which also welcomed a Gulf railway accord and approved a run of legislative and cooperation measures.
The Cabinet opened by praising His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani for his continued push to reach a comprehensive US-Iran agreement that would end the crisis and anchor lasting peace in the region. It also pointed to Monday’s talks in Washington between His Excellency Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, which centred on how a deal might be reached.
The Cabinet welcomed the general agreement signed on Sunday in Manama that links GCC member states through a shared railway. It called the deal a strategic milestone that will ease passenger and freight movement, boost intra-GCC trade and deepen economic integration across the bloc.
The meeting also praised Qatar’s showing in the 2026 Rule of Law Index from the World Justice Project, where it held a top-three regional position for a second straight year across five indicators: regulatory enforcement, civil justice, criminal justice, absence of corruption, and order and security. The Cabinet said the result reflected stronger institutions, greater efficiency, and a firmer commitment to justice, integrity and transparency, and pledged further work on laws, their enforcement and public accountability.
On regional security, the Cabinet reiterated its strongest condemnation of repeated Houthi strikes on several parts of Saudi Arabia, most recently two ballistic missiles fired towards Riyadh, following an earlier attack on Madinah. It called for an immediate end to such reckless acts, which it said threaten civilian lives and infrastructure, and affirmed support for all legitimate steps Saudi Arabia takes to protect its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and interests.
On the agenda, the Cabinet approved a draft law exempting spare parts for civil aircraft used on airport premises in Qatar from customs duties, and referred it to the Shura Council. Drafted by the Ministry of Finance with the General Authority of Customs, the law is designed to meet international and regional obligations, support the aviation sector and streamline customs procedures.
The Cabinet also approved a draft Artificial Intelligence Acceleration Partnership between Qatar and the United States, along with several memoranda of understanding and agreements on international cooperation.
These include an MoU between Qatar’s Ministry of Labour and Iraq’s Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs on labour, occupational health and safety, and another between Qatar’s Administrative Control and Transparency Authority and Tajikistan’s State Financial Control and Anti-Corruption Agency on preventing and combating corruption. Qatar’s Diplomatic Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also signed an academic cooperation MoU with the Dominican Republic’s diplomatic training institute, INESDYC.
The approvals extend to Turkiye, with a memorandum between the foreign ministries of Qatar and Turkiye on peace, reconciliation and conflict resolution, an education cooperation agreement, and an MoU on consumer protection and market surveillance.
The Cabinet reviewed the 2025 annual report of the Permanent Committee for Penal and Correctional Institutions. It also examined Qatar’s participation in the 37th session of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment, held in Cairo in October, and the Second International Social Responsibility Forum, held in Riyadh the same month, and took the appropriate decisions on both reports.
