Cabinet holds weekly meeting
His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al-Thani, chaired the weekly Cabinet meeting held today at the Amiri Diwan.Following the meeting, HE Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohannadi, stated that at the outset of the meeting, the Cabinet praised the speech delivered by HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the opening session of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, held yesterday, Tuesday, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Cabinet highlighted the important messages conveyed in HH the Amir's speech, which reflected the State of Qatar's principles and firmly established positions at the domestic and international levels, grounded in wisdom, steadfastness and firmness in defending its territory, dignity and sovereignty, as well as its approach of combining steadfastness with flexibility and placing the interests of the nation, its people and those residing on its soil above all else. This approach was established by Qatar's leaders.The Cabinet highlighted HH the Amir's reaffirmation in his speech of the State of Qatar's steadfast positions on various regional and international issues, as well as the continuation of its active and positive role and ongoing efforts to defend the rights of peoples and pursue dialogue and peaceful means as a path to resolving disputes, settling crises and addressing the major and serious challenges threatening regional security and global peace.The Cabinet also commended HH the Amir's renewed call for the establishment of a regional system of collective security that respects the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of states, promotes the peaceful settlement of disputes and non-interference in the internal affairs of states.On another note, the Cabinet renewed the State of Qatar's condemnation in the strongest terms of the Houthi group's drone attack on Makkah. The Cabinet affirmed that any attempt to violate the sanctity of Makkah and the Sacred House of Allah, the Qibla of Muslims and the holiest place on earth, constitutes a reprehensible act of aggression, a grave transgression of all religious, moral and humanitarian red lines, and a blatant provocation of the sentiments of more than one billion Muslims around the world.The Cabinet also condemned in the strongest terms the Houthi group's drone attack on Taif Governorate and ballistic missile attack on Riyadh, the capital of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as its attempts to target civilians and civilian facilities in the cities of Bisha, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu.The Cabinet further reaffirmed the State of Qatar's full solidarity with the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its support for all legitimate measures taken by the Kingdom to safeguard its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites. It affirmed that the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an integral part of the security of the State of Qatar and the collective security of GCC states.The Cabinet then reviewed the topics on its agenda and approved a draft law issuing the Unified Regulation (Law) on International Road Transport among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States and its referral to the Shura Council.The draft law, prepared by the Ministry of Transport, comes as part of efforts to complete the national legislative requirements necessary for implementing the unified GCC regulation governing international road transport among the GCC states, thereby supporting the harmonisation of the frameworks and procedures governing this vital sector.The draft law aims to regulate international road transport, improve road safety, enhance economic and trade integration among the GCC states, facilitate the transport of passengers and goods, and develop a unified legislative environment that supports the smooth and efficient movement of road transport among the GCC states.The Cabinet also approved draft implementing decisions for Law No. 3 of 2025 on the Regulation of Travel and Air Cargo Agencies.The draft decisions, prepared by the Ministry of Transport in coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority, aim to complete the implementing instruments necessary for the application of the provisions of the aforementioned Law No. 3 of 2025 by establishing licensing conditions, the obligations of agencies and the rules governing their classification. This will contribute to enhancing the efficiency of travel and air cargo services and protecting the rights of customers.The Cabinet approved a draft agreement between the Government of the State of Qatar and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania on strategic cooperation in areas of mutual interest.Concluding its meeting, the Cabinet reviewed the 2025 annual report on the outcomes of the work of the Competition Protection and Anti-Monopoly Committee; the 2025 annual report on the achievements and work programmes of Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation; a report on the outcomes of HE the Minister of Labour's visit to the Republic of Singapore in July 2026; and a report on the outcomes of participation in the extraordinary meeting of the GCC Ministerial Committee for Agricultural Cooperation and Food Security, held in July 2026.