Cabinet welcomes outcomes of 45th session of GCC Supreme Council in Kuwait

HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, chaired the weekly Cabinet meeting today at the Amiri Diwan.

In a statement after the meeting, HE Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohannadi, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, said that the Cabinet began their session by welcoming the outcomes of the 45th session of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), held in Kuwait on Sunday, which saw the participation of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The Cabinet lauded the State of Kuwait’s efforts which contributed to the success of the summit, as reflected in its Final Communique and the Kuwait Declaration. They both underscored support for and the enhancement of the GCC’s joint efforts, and reaffirmed positions regarding regional and international developments.

As part of the session’s proceedings, the Cabinet noted the Shura Council’s endorsement of the draft state budget for the fiscal year 2025 and the bill for the adoption of the general budget.

From there, the Cabinet approved a draft law amending certain provisions of Law No. (24) of 2018 on Income Tax Law, referring it to the Shura Council. The draft amendment to the law aims to enable multinational companies to file their tax returns related to the supplementary minimum tax in the country. This initiative, which aligns with the requirements of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the G20, aims to adopt international best practices and foster international cooperation in the tax field, and implement global rules to combat base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) by multinational enterprises.

The Cabinet also approved a draft Cabinet decision to amend certain provisions of Council of Ministers Resolution No. (21) of 2004 on issuing the Executive Bylaw of the Customs Law. It aims to streamline and simplify customs procedures for the clearance of goods at customs points, with the goal of achieving the shortest possible time for the release of goods.

The Cabinet approved a draft Cabinet decision to exempt some materials imported by the Ministry of Defence from customs duties.

The Cabinet went on to approve a draft decision by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change to consider the Umm Al Shaif area as a natural reserve. The draft decision aims to preserve its marine environment and biodiversity, while mitigating damage to pearl oysters in the area caused by human activities such as fishing and maritime navigation.

Additionally, the Cabinet approved a draft decision by the President of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation to establish a technical committee, which aims to assess the compensation due for damages to public electrical and water facilities, define its competencies, establish its working system and determine the remuneration of its members. The draft decision comes in implementation of the provisions of Law No. (13) of 2024 on the Protection of Public Electric and Water Installations.

The Cabinet proceeded to approve a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on conducting political consultations on matters of joint interest between the State of Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade; a draft MoU on security cooperation between the Ministries of Interior of the State of Qatar and Hungary; and a draft agreement on air services between the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

At the meeting’s conclusion, the Cabinet reviewed three reports, making decisions accordingly. These included the outcomes of the 25th meeting of the Ministerial Committee in charge of following up on the implementation of joint action decisions in the GCC; a report on the outcomes of the 3rd Committee Meeting for Cyber Security in the GCC Countries; and a report on the outcomes of the first session of the Qatari-Uzbek Joint Committee for Economic, Trade, and Technical Cooperation.