Cabinet praises BDF, welcomes Turkish President's visit

Manama, Feb. 6 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has extended deepest congratulations to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Supreme Commander, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander, on Bahrain Defence Force (BDF)'s Day. HRH the Prime Minister lauded the crucial role of the BDF whose establishment, preparedness and development into a protective shield that defends the nation and safeguards its progress, security, stability, achievements and gains have always enjoyed the royal support. Chairing the regular weekly Cabinet session at the Gudaibiya Palace today, the Prime Minister hailed the competence of the BDF's Commander-in-Chief and staff, voicing pride in the BDF's preparedness, cutting-edge weaponry and modern equipment, Cabinet Secretary-General Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser said in a statement. HRH Premier welcomed the announcement of the "King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's Youth Empowerment Award" at the world level at the UN headquarters, describing the award as a noble initiative that serves the UN sustainable development goals and the international development priorities on which all member states had agreed in 2015. He said that the prestigious award aims to boost the capabilities of world youth and pave the way for them by creating empowerment opportunities for them in various countries and cultures through innovative and effective means. It also aims to urge countries to take interest in youngsters and embrace them, HRH Premier added, praising the role of the award in enhancing cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the UN, being the first-of-its-kind initiative that targets youth. The Premier was commenting on a report presented by the Youth and Sports Affairs Minister on the "King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's Youth Empowerment Award" at the world level. The Cabinet welcomed the forthcoming visit of the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in response to an official invitation from HM King Hamad. The Cabinet said that the visit is within the framework of the brotherly relations and cooperation between the two countries, wishing the distinguished guest and his accompanying delegation a pleasant stay in the Kingdom. Tackling development issues, HRH the Prime Minister was informed about the situation of some infrastructure projects in the Muharraq Governorate, including the Saada (happiness) project linking the city's traditional market to a modern seafront with recreational, tourism and commercial services and facilities. He directed to expedite the implementation of the project by putting it out to tender ahead of its commencement. The Prime Minister also gave instructions to speed up the revamp of the "Rayya" Avenue which connects the villages of Qalali, Samaheej and Al-Dair. He also ordered the completion of the services in the three villages. In this regard, the Deputy Premier and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Urbanisation and Infrastructure updated the session about the status of the Saada project regarding designs and land acquisition, noting that the project is on the right track. Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning also briefed the Cabinet on the latest developments regarding the "Rayya" Avenue revamp project, including the necessary land acquisition, noting that work in the project will begin as soon as the next budget is approved. While reviewing the memoranda on its agenda, the session endorsed a plan to expand the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP) in order to cover the east region of the Salman Industrial City in Al Hidd, noting that the new area's existing ventures and investors will enjoy the same incentives, including the tax guarantees, Bahrainisation, leases and easy access to services, provided in BIIP. The expansion is within the framework of the government's keenness to diversify non-oil revenues through attracting more industrial investments and developing the industrial sector, a memorandum presented by the Deputy Premier and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Financial Affairs and Rationalising Expenditure said. The Cabinet decided to keep the same incentives and privileges granted to air transportation companies for the next two years, as part of efforts to enhance the competitiveness of Bahrain International Airport's pivotal role in the region, as well as to encourage the air companies using it as a hub for their operations and attract more airlines. The Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications was requested to take the necessary procedures. On trade, HRH the Prime Minister gave directives to adopt more initiatives that boost the sector by facilitating transactions and reducing overlapped and duplicated procedures required for the issuance of commercial permits. In this context, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism presented a report on the performance indicators of government departments in the commercial permits system, including the Commercial Registration Portal (SIJILAT) which contributed to improving the ranking of the kingdom within the World Bank's report regarding the "Ease of Doing Business". In the 2016 World Bank's Economy ranking, in which 190 countries are ranked on their ease of doing business, Bahrain moved three places, from 63 to 60, and was among the best 10 countries in the world that advanced in this regard. The session reviewed the main employment, insurance against unemployment and training indicators for 2016. Figures indicated the government's success in maintaining the annual unemployment rate at 4 percent despite the challenges created by the economic conditions, generating 5,885 job opportunities and providing employment for 22,000 Bahraini job-seekers. They also showed an increase in the average salary for private sector workers by 3.3 percent. Commenting on a memorandum presented by the Labour and Social Development Minister, the session voiced satisfaction with the ability of the Bahraini economy to create adequate job opportunities for the citizens and success in maintaining unemployment rates at secure levels. The Cabinet also reviewed a report on the economic indicators of the third quarter of 2016. A memorandum submitted by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism revealed that the kingdom's GDP grew by 3.9 percent, local and foreign investments went up by 2.7 percent during the third quarter of 2016, compared with the third quarter of 2015. The report added that 39 industrial projects were granted licenses.