HRH Premier chairs Cabinet session

Manama, Feb. 13 (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 on the 16th Anniversary of the National Action Charter (NAC). The Prime Minister stressed that NAC has created a modernisation approach, provided a democratic atmosphere, consolidated human rights and become a catalyst for a modern national progress spearheaded by the King, noting that the Charter embodied the unity of the Bahraini citizens and their rallying behind the leadership to ensure a brighter future for the country. HRH Premier made the statements while chairing the regular weekly Cabinet session, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, at the Gudaibiya palace today. HRH the Prime Minister lauded the visit of the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to Bahrain, HM King Hamad's talks with him and the agreements signed between the two brotherly countries on the sidelines of the visit. The Premier highlighted the importance of President Erdogan's visit to the Kingdom, in terms of goals, timing and results at the bilateral and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) levels, noting that the visit augurs a joint Bahraini-Turkish political, economic and defence strategy, Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al Nasser, said in a statement following the session. The Prime Minister hailed the Kingdom's hosting of the World Arabian Horse Organisation (WAHO) Conference, under HM the King's patronage, noting that its goals and outcomes are consistent with Bahrain's efforts to preserve pure-bred Arabian horses, particularly that the kingdom is one of their world-famous habitats. HRH Premier directed to continue promoting and marketing national industrial products, attracting local and foreign investments and encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises, praising, in this regard, the role of exhibitions in achieving these goals, citing the Gulf Industry Fair (GIF 2017), held under his patronage recently. HRH Premier congratulated Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), on being granted the Arab Medal by the Arab League in recognition of her support for the institutional efforts to advance Arab women. The Premier also welcomed the declaration of Manama as the Capital of Arab Women in 2017, noting that the announcement reflects Bahrain's leading efforts in building the capacities of women in various fields. On security, HRH the Prime Minister commended the role and high competence of the security authorities, and the courage of their personnel in reinforcing security and stability nationwide, lauding the high-level coordination among security bodies which, he said, was crucial in ensuring the success of the recent quality operations. In this regard, the Prime Minister lauded the citizens' patriotic and supportive stances, issuing instructions to step up vigilance and preemptive security, and intensify investigation, research and control to repel and thwart all terrorist and criminal acts. While tackling health issues, HRH the Prime Minister was informed about efforts to meet the citizens' needs of medical services and medicines at all public health facilities, directing to take all necessary procedures to ensure the citizens' access to treatment and medicines without delay in all departments, including the Emergency Department at the Salmaniya Medical Complex. On economy, HRH Premier gave directives to continue attracting companies and encouraging foreign investments through incentives and facilities in order to generate more job opportunities for Bahrainis. Developing the Bahraini workforce and improving its capabilities are among the key goals set by the government, he said, noting that qualified workers represent value added elements to investment projects. The government seeks to attract investment projects for the ultimate goal of creating new job opportunities for the citizens, the Premier said. While reviewing the memoranda on its agenda, the session reviewed the proposed aspects of cooperation with Turkey which will be discussed during the next meeting of the Joint Bahraini-Turkish Committee. According to the memorandum presented by the Finance Minister, the committee will convene in Ankara on March 2-3, and will discuss cooperation in the fields of bilateral trade, finance and banking, housing and infrastructure, science, technology and industries, small and medium-sized enterprises, tourism, education, health and youth and sports. The session also discussed the Kingdom's ratification of five international conventions and treaties, in line with Bahrain's commitment towards the International Community, being one of the beneficiaries of services related to the exploration and use of outer space. They include the Outer Space Treaty, the Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space (the Rescue Agreement), the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects (the Space Liability Convention), Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space and the Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (Moon Treaty). The memorandum, presented by the Defence Affairs Minister, who is the minister responsible for the National Space Science Agency, was referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs.