His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today chaired the weekly Cabinet Meeting at Gudaibiya Palace.
To mark the upcoming Eid Al-Fitr holiday, the Cabinet extended its best wishes to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the people of Bahrain, and all Arab and Islamic nations.
The Cabinet commended His Majesty the King’s issuance of the Royal Decree pardoning many inmates, who had been convicted in rioting and criminal cases, marking the Silver Jubilee of His Majesty’s accession to the throne and on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr. The Cabinet affirmed that this reflects HM the King’s commitment to maintain the cohesion and stability of Bahraini society, while protecting its social fabric, upholding public interest, safeguarding individual and civil rights. His Royal Highness directed the Ministry of Labour to provide training programmes and offer job opportunities to the pardoned individuals so that they can fulfill their social responsibility to contribute to the Kingdom’s comprehensive development.
The Cabinet affirmed the importance of His Royal Highness’s meeting with the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, during HRH’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Cabinet noted the results of His Royal Highness’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its importance in further strengthening the Bahrain-Saudi partnership through multisectoral collaboration.
The Cabinet commended the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts in serving pilgrims during the holy month of Ramadan with the utmost care, enabling them to perform their prayers safely and comfortably.
The Cabinet discussed several memorandums during the meeting, approving the following:
1. A memorandum submitted by the Civil Service Council regarding restructuring and developing the work of several government agencies to increase efficiency and improve performance.
2. A memorandum submitted by the Government Executive Committee regarding a proposal to regulate trade regarding authorised distributors in a way that strengthens and promotes competitiveness for the benefit of consumers and empowers Bahraini business owners, who have made long-term contributions to providing goods and services, while developing the national economy.
3. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and Fiscal Balance on the economic report of the Kingdom of Bahrain for 2023. The report showed that the non-oil sector contributed 83.9% to the Kingdom’s GDP at constant prices, which is the highest in Bahrain’s history. This percentage reflects the efforts and cooperation between the public and private sectors to develop the non-oil economic sectors. The report also showed a 2.4% growth in the gross domestic product in 2023 at constant prices, while the non-oil sector grew 3.4% at constant prices.
4. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on a draft law adding a new article to the decree law regarding medals.
5. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the service level agreement between the Customs Affairs of the Ministry of Interior and the King Fahd Causeway General Authority and the service level agreement for the King Fahd Causeway Passports from Bahrain’s side, which aim to improve operational services.
6. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on a draft agreement between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of Kazakhstan regarding exemption from visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports.
7. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on the government’s response to three proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives.
BNA(R)
