Royal Decree Related to Resolution No. 52 dated 24‑3‑1374 A.H.
The Council of Ministers reviewed the matter concerning:
The address delivered by His Majesty the King at the opening of the Council of Ministers in Riyadh:
We praise before you God Almighty, through whose grace good deeds are completed, by whose help efforts succeed, and through whose power hopes are fulfilled. We send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, who brought from God that which guarantees for us the good of this world and the next.
After this:
Each of us knows—and continues to feel—the magnitude of the great calamity that befell us with the passing of the renewer of our glory and the founder of our State, our beloved father Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al‑Faisal, may God sanctify his soul, envelop him in His mercy, and make Paradise his abode. By God’s grace, he restored to us the glory of our forefathers and established our State, granting it a distinguished position among nations. His standing in the world is well known to you, and the legacy and noble reputation he left behind are among our greatest sources of pride—treasures that time itself will continue to recount.
Our only solace after this tragedy was what God bestowed upon us of patience and steadfastness at the moment of loss, so that the shock did not distract us from our duty to continue along the path he charted for us. Our hearts were further comforted by your unity around us, your support, and your pledge of allegiance—offered with your hearts before your hands—and by the loyalty shown by our people, who renewed their pledge to listen and obey according to the Book of God and the Sunnah of His Messenger. This reminds us of what the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) did with the Rightly Guided Caliphs. This was our consolation—and yours—and that of our nation, and it became a renewed motivation for us to devote our days and nights to the advancement of our country and the well‑being of our people.
Since assuming the responsibilities of leadership, our foremost concern has been to hold fast to the Book of God, to follow the guidance of His Messenger, and to emulate the righteous predecessors. We have also resolved to follow the path of our great father in governance, administration, and all fields of reform—preserving what he built, completing what he began, and doing all that lies within our power for the good of our country and our people.
Islam has made governance a matter of consultation among Muslims. Therefore, the first decision we made was to place our trust in you—our brothers, our sons, and our ministers—so that we may work together to shoulder the responsibilities of ruling this land. For this purpose, we established this Council—the Council of Ministers—to be a source of authority and a reference point, with each of you entrusted with responsibilities according to the regulations governing your offices.
On this first occasion of opening this esteemed Council, we wish to outline the path we intend to follow in the coming years, with God’s help and strength:
1. Strengthening Faith and Upholding Islamic Principles
Our foremost concern is that we all hold fast to the rope of God, and that we adopt all means within our country to instill pure monotheism in the hearts of all citizens, so that worship is devoted to God alone. We shall follow the guidance of the Qur’an in calling to God with wisdom and good counsel, especially in schools. We will diligently monitor this, encouraging people toward what Islamic law commands and preventing what it forbids, for in this lies the good of this world and the next. Islam has commanded every good and prohibited every evil.
2. Foreign Policy and Arab Unity
In our foreign policy, we follow the path of our great father. Our foremost concern is to unite the word of the Arabs and support their interests within the Arab League and the Joint Defense Pact. We instructed our delegation to the League’s first meeting after our accession to the throne to affirm our firm resolve to support the Arabs and cooperate with them in every possible field to prevent aggression and achieve collective benefit.
We shall continue, with God’s help, to call upon all Arab countries to unite their ranks and strengthen their bonds, for the unity of the Arabs preserves their independence and repels aggression from any source.
We were deeply moved by the delegations of many Arab nations who came to offer condolences and congratulations, sharing with us both grief and joy. We exchanged views with them on matters of common interest. The most recent of these visits was that of His Majesty King Hussein, who met with us personally, offering condolences and congratulations, and reaffirming the bonds of brotherhood between us.
3. Relations with Islamic Nations
We are also pleased with the friendly relations between us and the Islamic nations, especially Pakistan, whose distinguished leader, Mr. Ghulam Muhammad, visited us to offer condolences and congratulations, and to strengthen the ties of cooperation between our two countries. We are committed to every effort that unites the word of Islam and Muslims across the world.
4. The Palestinian Cause and Zionist Aggression
We are all aware of the malignant growth that has taken root in the body of the Arab world—the Zionist entity—which has committed atrocities unprecedented in history, killing and displacing nearly a million Muslim Arabs from Palestine. Their crimes are well known throughout history, and they continue to prepare for further aggression, as shown by their repeated attacks on neighboring Arab lands.
In their current state, they threaten not only the neighboring Arab countries but the entire Arab world—and indeed the Muslim world as a whole. We are working with the Arab states, and with any Islamic nation that shares our stance, to defend ourselves against this aggression, trusting in God’s support.
5. Relations Beyond the Arab World
Our general policy outside the Arab sphere is to continually improve our political relations with all nations. With God’s help, we shall strengthen our friendly ties with every country that shows goodwill toward us.
We regret that a problem remains unresolved between us and the friendly British government. We continue to exert every effort to safeguard our sovereignty and inherited rights through peaceful negotiations, and we remain hopeful that a friendly settlement will be reached, God willing.