His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today chaired the weekly Cabinet Meeting at Gudaibiya Palace.
The Cabinet affirmed the importance of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s address on the occasion of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s celebration of its National Days, the anniversary of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s accession to the throne, and the accompanying national events.
The Cabinet highlighted the citizens’ celebrations on Bahrain’s National Days and thanked the countries that have congratulated the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The Cabinet commended the organisational efforts of the ministries and concerned government entities that contributed to the success of the National Days Celebrations.
The Cabinet then commended the opening of the Special Security Forces Command’s new building and facilities in Safrah on the occasion of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s National Days celebration, the anniversary of His Majesty’s accession to the throne, and Bahrain Police Day, held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The Cabinet congratulated the Minister of Interior and the employees of the Ministry of Interior on this inauguration, acknowledging it will bolster their ongoing efforts in delivering exemplary security systems.
The Cabinet extended its condolences to the State of Kuwait, its Amir, the government, and the people of Kuwait following the passing of His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
The Cabinet reflected on the virtues of HH Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad and his efforts in advancing Kuwait’s comprehensive development while serving his people, as well as Arab and Islamic nations.
The Cabinet wished the Amir of the State of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, success in achieving progress and prosperity for Kuwait and its people, following taking the constitutional oath as the Amir of Kuwait.
The Cabinet also congratulated the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, His Excellency Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, on his re-election and wished him success in fulfilling his presidential duties to realise the aspirations of the Egyptian people for further progress and prosperity.
The Cabinet congratulated allied countries on Christmas, wishing them further progress and prosperity.
As the New Year approaches, the Cabinet extended its wishes for 2024 to be a year of advancement and prosperity for Bahrain and its people. The Cabinet also expressed hopes for global peace, security, and prosperity across the world.
HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister directed the continuation of development and innovation to enhance the quality and efficiency of government services for the people of Bahrain. His Royal Highness urged all government service centres to strive for excellence in delivering exceptional services that meet the present and future aspirations of Bahraini citizens. In line with these directives, the Cabinet reviewed a memorandum submitted by the Government Executive Committee regarding the outcomes of the fourth evaluation round (Taqyeem 4) of government service centres in 2023, where 71 government centres were evaluated, 18 received the gold criteria and six others received the silver criteria.
The Cabinet expressed its thanks and appreciation to the centres that received the gold and silver categories for their efforts in developing their services to the citizens.
Upon reviewing the memorandum from the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and Fiscal Balance, the Cabinet examined the Bahrain Economic Quarterly report for Q3 2023. The report highlighted a 2.5% annual growth in GDP in real terms, driven by a 4.5% increase in the non-oil sector, which accounted for around 83.6% of real GDP. From January to October of this year, the average consumer price index (inflation) remained steady at 0.2%.
The Cabinet discussed several memorandums during the meeting, approving the following:
1. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Development and Infrastructure Projects regarding the launch of the Real Estate Information Bank platform (Aqari). This platform aims to offer precise and up-to-date real estate data to the government, private sector, and investors. It operates through an integrated electronic platform providing information on the quantity and worth of real estate transactions, property specifics, maps, land classification, and locations of commercial complexes, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions.
2. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding two draft laws ratifying the agreements between the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the States of Guernsey, and the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China regarding the elimination of double taxation on income taxes and the prevention of tax evasion and tax avoidance.
3. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding a declaration of intent between Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior and the Republic of Austria’s Ministry of Interior to strengthen security cooperation between the two countries.
4. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Government of the United States of America for cooperation in the field of higher education.
5. A memorandum submitted by the Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Education and Training Quality Authority regarding the approval of the authority’s reports.
6. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on the government’s response to four proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives.
In addition, the Cabinet noted the following ministerial reports:
1. Participation in the 44th session of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council
2. Participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
3. Outcomes of the official visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the United Kingdom
4. Outcomes of the participation in the 6th Session of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum at the ministerial level
5. Participation in the Global Labor Market Conference
6. Outcomes of the participation in the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28)
7. Participation in the 12th Arab Energy Conference and the 111th meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC)
8. Participation in the 43rd Session of the Council of Arab Ministers for Social Affairs
9. The external participation of various ministers and visits of foreign delegations to the Kingdom of Bahrain in January 2024.
BNA(R)
