The cabinet affirmed the solidity of the deep-rooted Bahraini-Saudi relations, lauding sisterly Saudi Arabia’s firm stances in support of Bahrain at all levels.
In this context, the cabinet highlighted the importance of HRH Crown Prince’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia, and welcomed its fruitful outcomes which will strengthen bilateral ties further.
Marking the International Workers’ Day, the Cabinet congratulated all workers who have dedicated their efforts in the service of the homeland and tried honestly, inside and outside the country, to highlight the kingdom’s milestone labour achievements, attained during His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s prosperous era, confirming the government’s resolve to go ahead with its efforts to develop a positive work environment that motivates workers to increase productivity through creating work and professional conditions based on laws and legislations that are compatible with international conventions and norms.
Regarding the Bahrain Grand Prix Formula One race, held recently at the Bahrain International Circuit, the cabinet praised the exemplary cooperation and coordination of all ministries and state departments during the event, which ensured the success of the race and encouraged the owners of F1 races’ commercial rights to renew the cooperation contract with the kingdom for a new term.
Concerning the recent visit of Al Azhar Al Sharif’s Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the cabinet welcomed the fruitful results of the visit and lauded Al Azhar Al Sharif’s honourable stances towards the kingdom, hailing its scholars’ support for Bahrain’s sovereignty and national unity, and rejection of any forms of interference in its domestic affairs.
Then, the cabinet discussed a number of proposals to revamp Al-Jazair Beach by equipping its current facilities so as to upgrade their efficiency and improve the quality of services in order to boost family tourism there and increase the number of visitors, requesting the concerned sides to conduct the necessary studies.
On health, the cabinet reviewed a new vision of treatment abroad in order to reduce costs, estimated at BD 14.5 million yearly, compared to BD 4.5 million in 2007.
Among the alternatives that can rationalize expenditure and ensure that the citizens receive treatment, if it’s not available here, is to bring outstanding world medical experts into the kingdom, which will reduce expenses, on the one hand, and enable Bahraini doctors to avail of world medical competencies.
Regarding housing, the cabinet asserted that criterion for distributing housing units in new project cities is based on application dates so as to ensure justice and equality between applicants.
As far as housing projects set up in urban neighbourhoods, a percentage will allocated for local inhabitants in order to preserve the local social fabric, and the rest will be distributed to applicants from the same governorate.
The cabinet approved the nomination of representatives from the Interior Ministry, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Central Bank of Bahrain to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in order to be included in the list of experts in charge of combating corruption and ensuring the compliance with the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), in line with the government’s keenness to improve its ranking in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and commitment to UNCAC, ratified as per Law No. 7 for 2010.
During the same session, the cabinet was informed by the Transportation Minister about the improvement of the Kingdom’s ports’ activities and performance in 2012, including the Khalifa bin Salman Port in which the number of containers grew by 40%,the size of transshipment by 153% and the overall annual volume of goods by 13%.
The cabinet also approved the ratification of the Protocol to the Convention on Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income signed between the governments of Bahrain and China and requested the Finance Minister to sign it on behalf of Bahrain.
The memorandum submitted by the Finance Minister on Convention on Avoidance of Double Taxation and its accompanying protocol, signed between Bahrain and Hungary, was referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs.
The session also discussed and approved the proposals submitted by the Representatives Council on establishing an Oncology, setting up a multi-storey car park at the Salmaniya Medical Complex and distribution of housing units on the basis of the date of application.
The cabinet also took note of the Shura Council’s approval of a draft-law on civil aviation, and requested the relevant sides to take the necessary procedures in order to submit it to His Majesty the King for approval and issuance.