HRH Premier of Bahrain chairs new Cabinet’s first session

Manama, Dec. 10 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa chaired the Cabinet session, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, at the Gudaibiya Palace today. The meeting is the first to be held by the new Cabinet which was formed as per Royal Decree 61/2018. New Cabinet vows to achieve royal visions HRH the Prime Minister delivered a statement in which he extended thanks and appreciation to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on his precious trust, affirming that the new Cabinet will do its utmost to implement the King’s visions and achieve the citizens’ aspirations. HRH Premier expressed sincere congratulations to the newly-appointed cabinet members, and welcomed the new members. He also thanked the outgoing members for the tremendous efforts they had exerted. HRH the Prime Minister pointed out that the first Government Action Plan (GAP) of the new cabinet will focus on achieving fiscal balance and economic stability, in addition to ensuring sustainable services and enhancing their quality, a post-session statement by the Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser, said. Leaders congratulated on National, Accession Days The cabinet extended deepest congratulations to HM the King, HRH Premier and HRH the Crown Prince, as well as to the Bahraini people on the kingdom's national celebrations on 16 and 17 December marking the anniversary of the establishment of the modern state of Bahrain as an Arab and Muslim country in 1783 by its founder Ahmed Al-Fateh, the 47th Anniversary of its accession to the UN as a full member and the 19th Anniversary of HM the King’s Accession to the Throne. The session recalled with pride Bahrain’s innumerable achievements, distinguished regional and international status and leading role in various fields during HM King Hamad’s prosperous era, wishing the kingdom’s leadership and people ever-lasting security, stability and prosperity. Cabinet pays tribute to late servicemen The session paid tribute to the kingdom’s late servicemen, marking the Commemoration Day, which is observed on December 17 every year. The session recalled with pride and appreciation the sacrifices made by the late servicemen who lost their lives while defending their country and protecting their Nation in the battlefields of honour, stressing that they had set themselves as role models for sacrifice and dedication, and will always remain a source of pride. 39th GCC Summit success hailed The Prime Minister lauded the success of the 39th Summit of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in which HM King Hamad participated, and which was presided over by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. HRH Premier welcomed the Communique of the "Riyadh Summit", and praised its assertion of the need to maintain the GCC’s strength, cohesion and unity. The Premier, while commenting on a report presented by the Foreign Affairs Minister on the 39th GCC Summit, also welcomed the keynote speech delivered by King Salman of Saudi Arabia, in which he underlined his country’s keenness to preserve the GCC, and ensure that all GCC member states harness their potentials to serve their peoples. HRH Premier affirmed that the results of the Summit will consolidate the joint GCC march and support its standing in the face of challenges in order to be able to overcome them through stances and decisions that would serve the interests of GCC states and their peoples. Premier congratulates MPs, Shura members HRH the Prime Minister congratulated the newly-elected members of the Representatives Council for winning the confidence of the people of Bahrain, and the Shura Council members on the Royal trust bestowed upon them, wishing the Legislative Branch every success in carrying out their legislative and supervisory role. The Premier emphasised the government’s keenness on "fruitful and constructive" cooperation with the Legislature within the constitutional frameworks in force to attain more remarkable achievements through a "positive" partnership between the two branches to better serve the nation and the citizens. National Audit Office Report referred to Executive Committee HRH Premier referred to the Executive Committee, chaired by HRH the Crown Prince, the report of the National Audit Office (NAC) 2017-2018, to oversee the verification of the substantial remarks and recommendations included in it in accordance with the existing mechanisms. The Prime Minister gave directives to all ministries and government entities to address the remarks featuring in the NAC report and rectify them. Old neighbourhoods’ identity to be preserved The Prime Minister gave instructions to step up measures to regulate the accommodation of bachelor expatriates in neighbourhoods that are full of Bahraini families to maintain their social features, citing old neighbourhoods in the Al-Naim region, Muharraq and others. HRH Premier referred the matter to the High Urban Planning Committee, chaired by HRH the Crown Prince. The panel will have to re-classify those residential areas in a way that would preserve the identity and specificity of their neighbourhoods. It will also study their provision with the necessary facilities and services in order to encourage the local citizens to continue living there. Draft Bahrain-IOM Agreement referred to Executive Committee The session referred to the Executive Committee, chaired by HRH the Crown Prince, a draft agreement between Bahrain and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The draft agreement stipulates that IOM will open a branch in Bahrain to implement awareness-raising programmes and deliver consultation and technical services on migration and combating trafficking in persons. Draft resolution on obtaining bankruptcy documents approved The session approved a draft resolution on extracting certified copies of the Bankruptcy Register data and the information contained in the Bankruptcy Trustee list, in line with the provisions of the Bankruptcy and Composition Law promulgated by Law 22/2018. Water conservation discussed The cabinet discussed ways to conserve water resources and stop water wasting by reducing leaks. A memorandum presented by the Electricity and Water Affairs revealed that the water leak rate has decreased from 38% to 17%. Draft Bahrain-Portugal air services agreement to be signed The cabinet approved the initial signing of a draft air services agreement between Bahrain and Portugal on the sidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Conference to be held in Nairobi. The draft agreement, outlined in the memorandum submitted by the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, was referred it to the relevant Ministerial Committee. Youth-oriented activities discussed The session discussed increasing the number of youth benefitting from the services and programmes delivered by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs to ensure that no youth category is deprived of them, as highlighted in the memorandum presented by the Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs. The same Ministry was requested to find appropriate alternatives on determining the highest youth age. Bill on amending pharmacists’ law referred to ministerial committee The cabinet reviewed a draft-law on amending some provisions of the Decree-Law on the Practice of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Centres, which was drafted based on a proposal by the Council of Representatives. The bill was referred to the relevant committee for further study.