Doha, November 11 (QNA) - Qatar's Cabinet, chaired by HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al-Thani, held its regular meeting on Wednesday at the Amiri Diwan, discussing key regional developments and approving a series of legislative initiatives and international cooperation agreements.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Cabinet praised HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's continued efforts to advance US-Iran negotiations and secure a comprehensive agreement that would bring an end to the crisis and promote peace and stability across the region.

In this context, the Cabinet highlighted the positive discussions held in Washington on Monday between HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani with HE President Donald Trump of the United States of America and HE Vice President JD Vance. The discussions focused on prospects for reaching an agreement and establishing peace in the region.

The Cabinet also welcomed the signing, on Sunday in Manama, of the General Agreement linking the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states through the GCC railway project. It described the agreement as a strategic milestone and a key foundation for strengthening joint Gulf cooperation, facilitating passenger and freight transport, boosting intra-GCC trade and advancing regional economic integration.

The meeting further commended Qatar's strong performance in the 2026 Rule of Law Index, issued by the World Justice Project, for the second consecutive year. Qatar ranked among the top three countries regionally in five key indicators: regulatory enforcement, civil justice, criminal justice, absence of corruption, and order and security.

The Cabinet said the achievement reflected Qatar's advanced standing in upholding the rule of law, strengthening institutional efficiency, and promoting justice, integrity and transparency. It also highlighted the country's continued efforts to develop its legislative and institutional frameworks, improve the implementation of laws and regulations, and reinforce accountability and public confidence in national institutions.

On regional security, the Cabinet reiterated Qatar's strongest condemnation of continued Houthi attacks targeting several areas in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, most recently the launch of two ballistic missiles towards Riyadh, following an earlier ballistic missile attack targeting Madinah.

The Cabinet described the attacks as a blatant violation of Saudi Arabia's sovereignty and international law, as well as an unacceptable threat to civilian lives and civilian infrastructure. It called for an immediate halt to such irresponsible acts and reaffirmed Qatar's full solidarity with Saudi Arabia, supporting all legitimate measures taken to safeguard its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and interests.

It stressed that Saudi Arabia's security is inseparable from Qatar's security and the collective security of GCC member states.

Turning to items on the agenda, the Cabinet approved a draft law exempting spare parts for civil aircraft used within the premises of airports in Qatar from customs duties and decided to refer it to the Shura Council.

Prepared by the Ministry of Finance in coordination with the General Authority of Customs, the proposed legislation aims to fulfill relevant international and regional obligations and support the civil aviation sector. It is also intended to facilitate customs procedures and contribute to the development of the country's customs system.

The Cabinet also approved a draft Artificial Intelligence Acceleration Partnership between the governments of Qatar and the US.

The Cabinet also approved several draft memoranda of understanding and agreements aimed at strengthening international cooperation across a range of fields.

These included a memorandum of understanding between Qatar's Ministry of Labor and Iraq's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on cooperation in labor, occupational health and safety, as well as an MoU between Qatar's Administrative Control and Transparency Authority and Tajikistan's State Financial Control and Anti-Corruption Agency on preventing and combating corruption.

The approved agreements also included a memorandum of understanding on academic cooperation between Qatar's Diplomatic Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Institute of Higher Education for Diplomatic and Consular Training (INESDYC), affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic.

In addition, the Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding between the foreign ministries of the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye on cooperation in peace, reconciliation and conflict resolution, an agreement between the governments of Qatar and Turkiye on cooperation in education, and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in consumer protection and market surveillance between the two countries.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Cabinet reviewed the 2025 annual report on the activities of the Permanent Committee for Penal and Correctional Institutions.

It also examined reports on Qatar's participation in the 37th Session of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment, held in Cairo in October 2026, and the Second International Social Responsibility Forum, held in Riyadh in October 2026.

The Cabinet took the appropriate decisions regarding the reports. (QNA)