His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chaired the weekly Cabinet Meeting at Gudaibiya Palace.
The Cabinet congratulated His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, on the 27th anniversary of the founding of the National Guard. The Cabinet noted the efficiency and readiness of the National Guard in performing their national duties.
The Cabinet then congratulated the graduates of the Crown Prince International Scholarship Program (CPISP) for the successes they have achieved in their careers in the public and private sectors, noting the continuous development the CPISP has witnessed over the course of its 25-year history.
In anticipation of the upcoming Bahrain Diplomatic Day, observed annually on 14 January, the Cabinet noted the achievements made by the Kingdom of Bahrain in the diplomatic field, which have strengthened the Kingdom’s position globally and its role in enhancing stability in the region and internationally.
The Cabinet congratulated Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah following his appointment as the Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait by the Amir of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, wishing him success in serving Kuwait and its people and contributing to its progress and prosperity.
The Cabinet celebrated Bahrain’s e-passport winning three gold awards and seven silver awards at the London Design Award and commended the efforts of the Ministry of Interior and other agencies responsible for the passport project, which demonstrated a modern design and stringent security standards. In this regard, the Cabinet encouraged the continuation of the Kingdom’s digitisation plans to improve services provided by various ministries and government institutions.
The Cabinet also expressed its condolences to the government and people of Japan for the victims of last week’s earthquakes that struck several regions of the island nation and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
The Cabinet discussed several memorandums during the meeting, approving the following:
1. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and Fiscal Balance on the Industrial Investment Guide.
2. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding several electronic services provided by the Information and eGovernment Authority and their support mechanisms.
3. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on an MoU between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology in the United Arab Emirates.
4. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on the government’s response to four proposals and two laws submitted by the Council of Representatives.
The Cabinet reviewed the following:
1. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and Fiscal Balance on the positive economic results achieved during Celebrate Bahrain events, in which the Cabinet expressed its thanks and appreciation to all government agencies and sponsors from the private sector for their successful organisational efforts.
2. A memorandum submitted by the Minister of Health regarding the developments of the National Task Forces for Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases and the National Committee to Control Smoking and All Types of Tobacco and its Products.
3. A memorandum submitted by the Minister of Education on the outcomes achieved following re-engineering the qualifications validation process.
BNA(R)