Concerning government services and the Kingdom’s ability to host mega functions, HRH Prime Minister issued directives to speed up the implementation of the expansion of the Bahrain International Airport project, the Bahrain Expo City and sports facilities and increase the number of health centres in order to be able to cope with population growth and ensure that the quality of medical services is not affected.
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The Cabinet welcomed the visit of the Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, and praised his talks with His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on ways of bolstering bilateral ties, lauding the advanced level of joint cooperation between Bahrain and brotherly Yemen in all fields.
The cabinet extended sincere congratulations to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for the outstanding success and fruitful outcome of the 21st Gulf Cup, hosted by the Kingdom from January 5 to 18, hailing in this regard the crucial role of the Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport and President of the Supreme Organising Committee Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa in ensuring the success of the prestigious GCC sports tournament, which earned the country massive local, regional and global acclaim and proved its ability to host big sports events.
The cabinet also paid tribute to the security bodies for their efforts to provide a secure environment during the two-week event, congratulating the UAE President, government and people for the UAE national football team’s winning of the GCC title.
The Cabinet affirmed that the state spares no effort to support Bahraini artists out of its strong belief in the importance of the artistic movement in highlighting the Kingdom’s bright cultural image, praising their creativity and masterpieces.
HRH Premier praised the excellent organisation of the 39th Fine Arts Expo who opening ceremony was held under his patronage last Wednesday.
The Premier also highlighted the importance of specialised exhibitions in promoting and boosting national industries, including the Gulf Industry Fair which he opened last Tuesday, reiterating the government’s support for national industries and interest to create suitable conditions for them to thrive.
On health, the Cabinet hailed HRH Premier’s recent visit to the Yousef Engineer Health Centre and lauded the effective contributions of Bahraini businessmen to the kingdom’s development process and charity work, praising the advanced medical services provided by the Health Ministry and its medical and technical staff.
Regarding the terrorist attack at a natural-gas plant in Algeria, the cabinet condemned it in the strongest terms, offered earnest condolences to the families of the victims and called upon the International Community to voice unified stances and take strict measures against terrorists, reaffirming solidarity with brotherly Algeria and support for all its measures to address the crisis and combat terrorism.
On Mali, the Cabinet called on the International Community to preserve the country’s territorial unity and spare its citizens wars and conflicts.
Then, the cabinet reviewed government subsidies on food, education, electricity, water and fuel, noting that they have grown by 67% since 2007.
In this regard, HRH Premier issued instructions to continue efforts to improve the citizens’ standards of living and diversify revenue sources, and was briefed on kingdom’s health, urban. Industrial and food needs.
On GCC relations, the cabinet endorsed the GCC Security Agreement, as recommended by the Supreme Council of the GCC, and the Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion signed between Bahrain and Barbados and decided to take the necessary legal and constitutional procedure in order to refer it to the National Assembly.
The Cabinet also discussed amending Law No. 3 for 2005 on Higher Education in order to upgrade educational output and maintain the kingdom’s leading position and referred it to the Ministerial Committee on Legal Affairs for further study.
Proposals submitted by the Representatives Council regarding the building of a primary school for boys in Busaiteen, the complete of the second phase of the Jid Hafs Maternity Hospital and acquisition of lands for setting up housing and service projects in Um Al Hassam and Adliya were approved during the session.
The Health Ministry was also requested to oblige local food companies to mention the number of calories in each product.